LOS ANGELES, CA – An Irvine woman was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport while preparing to board a flight to China after federal prosecutors accused her of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government and conducting surveillance on relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official.
Wanying Zhang, 34, also known as “Heather Zhang,” was taken into custody Sunday by the FBI at LAX, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Zhang faces a federal criminal complaint alleging that she acted in the United States on behalf of the government of the People’s Republic of China without notifying the U.S. attorney general as required by federal law.
She was expected to make her initial appearance and be arraigned Monday in federal court in downtown Los Angeles.
Prosecutors allege surveillance operation
According to the federal complaint, Zhang allegedly acted as an agent of the Chinese government between June and September 2025, coordinating with other individuals to promote Chinese government interests.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said the alleged activity included surveillance of family members of a senior Taiwanese government official at their residence in the United States.
Federal prosecutors have not identified the alleged target by name in their public announcement. The complaint, however, describes the person as a close relative of a high-ranking Taiwanese official.
The allegations have been publicly described by federal authorities as a counterintelligence matter involving a foreign government operating inside the United States.
Trip to China allegedly preceded assignment
Investigators allege the operation began after Zhang traveled from Southern California to China in June 2025.
According to prosecutors, she met with Chinese government officials during that trip and was given instructions to conduct surveillance after returning to the United States.
The Justice Department said the investigation indicates Zhang later coordinated travel with another individual as part of the alleged surveillance assignment.
On August 29, 2025, Zhang and the other person reportedly flew from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Las Vegas.
Two days later, on September 1, they flew from Las Vegas to the Pacific Northwest, where the relatives identified in the complaint lived.
Before the flight, prosecutors allege Zhang sent a photograph of her boarding pass to a person she understood to be a Chinese government official.
Investigators say pair watched residence
After arriving in the Pacific Northwest, Zhang and the other individual allegedly rented a vehicle and traveled to the residence of the surveillance target.
Federal investigators said the pair conducted surveillance from outside the residence.
According to the complaint, Zhang communicated with the alleged Chinese government contact while at the location. Prosecutors say she reported seeing a young man and indicated that she was recording video.
The complaint also alleges that Zhang provided the Chinese official with the license plate numbers of two vehicles parked outside the residence.
The details are part of the government’s probable-cause allegations and have not been established at trial.
FBI says investigation involves foreign-agent activity
The FBI’s investigation focuses on whether Zhang acted in the United States as an agent of the Chinese government without making the notification required under federal law.
The FBI identifies counterintelligence as one of its areas of responsibility, including efforts to detect and disrupt foreign intelligence activities targeting the United States.
Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said the complaint describes an alleged surveillance operation directed by Chinese officials against relatives of a Taiwanese government official.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli similarly said federal prosecutors intend to pursue what they describe as illegal foreign operations conducted on American soil.
The case is being prosecuted by attorneys from the National Security Division and the Central District of California U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Arrest made before flight to China
Zhang was arrested at LAX before she could board her planned flight to China.
The airport location is significant to the timeline because federal investigators took her into custody as she was preparing to leave the United States, according to prosecutors.
The Central District of California said Zhang’s initial appearance was expected to take place in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
Federal authorities have not announced that the person who allegedly accompanied Zhang on the Seattle-area trip has been charged in connection with the case.
Federal officials warn about foreign operations
The arrest comes as federal authorities continue to focus on alleged foreign-government activity conducted inside the United States.
John A. Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security, said the central allegation in the case is that Zhang covertly surveilled relatives of a high-ranking foreign government official at the direction of the Chinese government.
Essayli said Zhang is accused of acting under the direction of Chinese government officials and that the government intends to investigate and prosecute foreign operations that violate U.S. law.
The Department of Justice National Security Division oversees federal efforts involving national security threats, including counterintelligence and certain foreign-agent cases.
Potential federal sentence
Zhang is charged with one count of acting in the United States as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
If convicted, she faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison, according to the Justice Department.
The charge does not establish that Zhang committed espionage as a matter of law. The current case is based on a criminal complaint, meaning prosecutors must still prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt if the case proceeds to trial.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that a criminal complaint contains allegations and that Zhang is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The FBI Los Angeles Field Office remains responsible for the investigation, while federal prosecutors continue the case in the Central District of California.
