Wanying Zhang arrested over alleged surveillance of Taiwan president’s son
The FBI arrested California real-estate agent Wanying Zhang after a complaint alleged surveillance of President Lai Ching-te’s son.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
2 min read
In the Taiwan president son surveillance arrest, the FBI took Wanying “Heather” Zhang, 34, into custody at Los Angeles International Airport as she was preparing to fly to Shanghai, CBS News reported. Zhang, an Irvine, California, real-estate agent, is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
The case rests on allegations in an FBI criminal complaint filed in federal court on Oct. 3. Law-enforcement sources told CBS the person allegedly watched was Ting-Yu Lai, the U.S.-based son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.
What do authorities allege Zhang did in Seattle?
The complaint alleges that Zhang and a man identified only as “Individual 1” traveled from Las Vegas to Seattle on Sept. 1, 2025. The pair allegedly rented a black Nissan Rogue and went to the suburban home of a senior Taiwanese official’s family.
According to the complaint, neighborhood security-camera images showed the two appearing to record Lai, his wife and their child as the family arrived home. CBS News reported that it matched the images in the filing to an address near Seattle owned by Lai.
The FBI says messages retrieved through a search warrant for Zhang’s iCloud account included statements that she had seen the target and was recording video, followed by two license-plate numbers. The messages were sent through WeChat, according to the complaint.
The complaint further alleges that Zhang was in contact with at least two people she appeared to acknowledge worked for the People’s Republic of China government. It says she met one of those officials in Changsha, China, in June 2025 and received the surveillance assignment there.
Why did the FBI say the alleged surveillance mattered?
FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt wrote in the affidavit that pictures and location details involving close relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese official, including their homes and vehicles, could be useful to the PRC as leverage during a possible conflict. That was the agent’s assessment in support of the complaint, not a finding established in court.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, while Taiwan maintains its own government. CBS News reported that Taiwan has long been central to tensions between Beijing and Taipei.
Zhang’s husband, Edric Ding, who works at the same real-estate firm, told CBS News that he did not know anything yet and declined further comment. It was not immediately clear whether Zhang had an attorney, CBS reported.
Zhang is charged, not convicted. The allegations in the complaint have not been tested in court.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.