Alleged unregistered agent of China appears in court

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(The Center Square) –  An Irvine, Calif. woman accused of operating as an unregistered agent for China appeared for arraignment in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Monday - one day after being arrested by the FBI at Los Angeles International Airport.

Wanying Zhang, 34, also known as "Heather Zhang," was taken into custody by the FBI’s Los Angeles field office on Sunday as she attempted to board a flight bound for China. On Monday, she entered no plea during her first court appearance, and Judge Steve Kim rescheduled her detention hearing for Wednesday. Zhang was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli highlighted Zhang's arrest on X, noting that federal authorities intercepted Zhang before she could leave the country.

"We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China," Essayli posted. "According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of PRC [People's Republic of China] officials, surveilled a close relative of a Taiwanese government official, sending photos, videos and license plate information to those officials."

In another post, the FBI said the federal complaint reported Zhang was doing surveillance of Lai Ting-yu, son of the president of Taiwan - Lai Ching-Te. 

According to the federal criminal complaint, Zhang’s alleged operations spanned from June to September 2025 without notifying the U.S. attorney general, something that is required by federal law.

In a Department of Justice press release, investigators detail a calculated scheme utilizing specialized tradecraft to evade detection. For example, authorities believe that in June 2025, Zhang traveled from Southern California to China, where investigators claim she met directly with Chinese officials and received orders to conduct surveillance on U.S. soil.

U.S. authorities alleged that on Aug. 29, 2025, Zhang and an accomplice flew from John Wayne International Airport in Orange County to Las Vegas, later traveling to Seattle, where the victims reside.

DOJ also states that court documents show Zhang coordinated her travel with an associate, utilized counter-surveillance tradecraft and sent real-time updates to Chinese handlers — including a boarding pass photo, video footage outside the target's residence, confirmation of spotting the target and vehicle license plate numbers.

Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, called the alleged actions a "brazen plot directed by the Chinese government to conduct a covert surveillance mission on U.S. soil."

Rozhavsky added that the case demonstrates the FBI's commitment to defending democratic allies. Taiwan, an independent constitutional democracy, maintains that it is not part of the People's Republic of China, despite Chinese claims that Taiwan is part of China.