LOS ANGELES — An Irvine woman was arrested Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport on a federal complaint accusing her of working as an unregistered agent of China and surveilling relatives of a senior Taiwanese government official, officials announced Monday.
Wanying Zhang, 34, also known as Heather Zhang, was preparing to board a flight to China, the Justice Department said Monday.
If convicted, Zhang faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Zhang is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
According to the complaint, Zhang worked under the direction of Chinese government officials from June through September 2025 without notifying the U.S. attorney general, as federal law requires.
Prosecutors allege she traveled to China in June 2025, met with government officials and received instructions to conduct surveillance of the official’s relatives in the United States.
On Aug. 29, 2025, Zhang and another person flew from Orange County’s John Wayne Airport to Las Vegas. Three days later, they flew to the state where a targeted relative lived, rented a car and drove to the relative’s home, according to the complaint.
Zhang allegedly sent a Chinese official a photograph of her boarding pass, then reported seeing a young man at the residence. When the official requested an audio call, she replied that she was recording video.
She also sent the official license plate numbers for two vehicles parked outside the home, prosecutors said.
The FBI is investigating.Quick fact checklist
- ✓ Defendant: Wanying “Heather” Zhang, 34, of Irvine.
- ✓ Arrest: Oct. 4, 2026, at Los Angeles International Airport before a planned flight to China.
- ✓ Charge: Acting in the United States as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.
- ✓ Alleged conduct: Surveillance of a senior Taiwanese official’s U.S.-based relatives and transmission of information to a Chinese official.
- ✓ Alleged period: June–September 2025.
- ✓ Maximum penalty: 10 years in federal prison if convicted.
- ✓ Investigating agency: FBI.
- ✓ Status: Charged by criminal complaint; presumed innocent.