FBI arrests woman accused of surveilling Taiwanese president's son for China

The FBI arrested Wanying Heather Zhang, a realtor from California, at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday. She was allegedly on her way to Shanghai, China, to board a flight, charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Her husband, Edric Ding, also a realtor, told CBS News he had no prior knowledge of the situation.

According to the criminal complaint, Zhang and an accomplice allegedly traveled to Seattle, Washington, in September 2025 with the intention of surveilling Ting-Yu Lai, son of Taiwanese President Ching-Te Lai. Ting-Yu, an engineer in his 30s, was born in the U.S. and attended college in America. He now works for the Dutch electronics firm Philips.

The complaint alleges that Zhang and her accomplice took pictures at the home of Ting-Yu's family in Seattle. The target's location and images of his family home were reportedly useful to the People's Republic of China (PRC) for potential leverage during conflicts.

The complaint states that Zhang and her accomplice allegedly met the Chinese government official in June 2025 and were given surveillance instructions. Zhang reportedly texted her Chinese handler, "Saw him. Young male. It's that young one, I am videorecording," followed by license plate numbers. The FBI obtained text messages from Zhang's iCloud account, where she communicated with the PRC government official.

Zhang has a background as a licensed California realtor with JC Pacific Capital Inc., having completed 130 sales and listings in Los Angeles and neighboring counties. Ting-Yu received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, a master's in Bioengineering Innovation and Design from Johns Hopkins University, and a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington.