OC Realtor Who Spied For China Arrested At LAX: U.S. Attorney

IRVINE, CA — An Orange County real-estate agent accused of acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government was arrested Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport while she was preparing to leave the country, federal officials said.

Wanying "Heather" Zhang, 34, was arrested by FBI agents while trying to depart for China, according to U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

The woman worked as a real estate agent in Irvine while doubling as a spy for the Chinese government, officials said.

According to a statement released by Essayli, Zhan was accused of acting as an unregistered agent in the People's Republic of China and surveilling a relative of a high-ranking Taiwanese official.

According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled with an associate to to the Seattle area in Sept. 2025 under the direction of purported Chinese government officials.

The duo apparently surveilled a close relative of a senior Taiwanese government official, the affidavit said. The pair also took photographs and video and collected vehicle license plate information, the affidavit said.

"We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China," Essayli said in a statement posted to X. "She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection. She never notified the Attorney General she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense."

The FBI affidavit said information about relatives of senior Taiwanese officials could provide the Chinese government with leverage during a conflict involving Taiwan, KTLA reported.

FBI Director Kash Patel trumpeted the arrest on social media.

"Foreign adversaries take note: America is no longer a safe place to run your espionage operations," Patel wrote. "Allegedly surveil a foreign leader's family on U.S. soil for (China) — and try to catch a flight back to Shanghai? Not happening."

A spokesperson for Taiwan's presidential office on Monday described Zhang's suspected actions as a "classic case of transnational repression."

"Taiwan condemns in the strongest terms such barbaric acts — which disregard human rights and national sovereignty and aim to suppress, threaten, or even harm individuals advocating for freedom and democracy or their families — as such behavior should not be tolerated in the civilized world," a spokesperson said in a statement.

City News Service contributed to this report.