Federal agents arrested an Irvine real estate agent at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, Oct. 4, as she tried to board a flight to Shanghai.

Wanying Zhang, 34, is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China. The FBI alleges she surveilled the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te at his home near Seattle, filming and photographing the family and sending license plate numbers to Chinese government handlers.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the arrest on X, saying Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials and sent photos, videos and license plate data back to those officials.

She used tradecraft to avoid detection and never notified the U.S. Attorney General she was acting for a foreign government, Essayli said.

"She was taking direction from them, she was following their orders, and she was conducting espionage on U.S. soil against Taiwanese government officials' relatives, and you just can't do that here in the United States," Essayli told reporters after Zhang's court appearance.

Essayli told KTLA that Zhang had been on investigators' radar since 2025 but her recent booking of a flight to Shanghai accelerated the arrest.

What the complaint alleges

According to CBS News, the criminal complaint says Zhang and an unidentified associate flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on Sept. 1, 2025. They rented a black Nissan Rogue and drove to the home of Lai Ting-yu, the president's son, who works as an engineer in the Seattle area.

Zhang allegedly texted her Chinese government handler: "Saw him. Young male. It's that young one," and "I am videorecording," followed by two license plate numbers. A neighbor's security camera recorded Zhang and her associate appearing to film the family as they arrived home that evening.

The FBI obtained WeChat messages through a search warrant on Zhang's iCloud account. Those messages showed Zhang was in contact with at least two people she appeared to acknowledge worked for the Chinese government.

FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt, who authored the Oct. 3 complaint, wrote that photos of the official's relatives and their homes "could be useful to the PRC" if China wished to "obtain leverage" during a potential conflict.

Zhang's background

Zhang is a naturalized U.S. citizen and a licensed California real estate salesperson since 2016, associated with JC Pacific Corp. in Irvine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office and state records.

The complaint alleges Zhang attended Beijing's University of International Relations, which the FBI says is closely affiliated with China's intelligence apparatus. A former classmate who became a Chinese government official allegedly introduced her to another official in June 2025. During a trip to Changsha, China, that month, Zhang allegedly met the official in a private room and received her surveillance assignment, later texting: "I can take care of this thing."

Court appearance and what's next

Zhang appeared in Los Angeles federal court on Monday, Oct. 5, hands cuffed and ankles shackled, still wearing the outfit from her arrest, KTLA reported. She told the judge she understood the charges.

She did not enter a plea.

The judge ruled Zhang earns too much to qualify for a public defender. She must hire her own attorney before her detention hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 7. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.

Taiwan's Presidential Office confirmed President Lai's relatives were the targets and called the case "a classic case of transnational repression." Spokesperson Karen Kuo condemned the alleged surveillance in a statement, according to Spectrum News.

China's Foreign Ministry told Reuters it was "not familiar" with the situation and said it has "consistently opposed the sensationalisation of so-called Chinese spies."

Zhang's husband, Edric Ding, a realtor at the same firm, was at the courthouse Monday but declined to comment. Zhang's preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 19 at 11:30 a.m.