A federal grand jury in California indicted a 34-year-old Irvine woman this month on charges she acted as an unregistered agent of China and conspired to spy on a son of Taiwan's president.

Wanying Zhang, who also goes by Heather, was arrested October 4 at Los Angeles International Airport as she prepared to board a flight to China. Prosecutors allege she conducted surveillance on the Seattle-area home of Lai Ting-yu, the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, between June and September 2025.

The indictment, filed October 9 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, charges Zhang with conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the People's Republic of China. It details how Zhang, a naturalized U.S. citizen and real estate agent, allegedly received directions from Chinese government officials, including a former classmate from China's University of International Relations.

According to court documents, Zhang traveled to the Seattle area, took photographs and videos of the target's residence and vehicles, recorded license plate information, and transmitted the material to her alleged handlers in China. An associate accompanied her on parts of the operation before fleeing to China in September.

Federal prosecutors have described the information gathered as potentially useful to Beijing for obtaining leverage over Taiwan's leadership during any future conflict. Taiwan's presidential office called the alleged actions a case of transnational repression and thanked U.S. authorities for protecting its citizens.

Zhang remains in pretrial detention after a judge ruled she poses a flight risk. She has not entered a plea. The case adds to a series of recent prosecutions in the Central District involving alleged Chinese influence and espionage activities inside the United States.