A Chinese foreign agent was arrested at LAX as she tried to depart for China.
Wanying Zhang, aka “Heather,” 34, of Irvine, was arrested by the FBI’s Los Angeles unit.
Zhang was detained on a federal complaint charging her with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China.
“According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of PRC officials, surveilled a close relative of a Taiwanese government official, sending photos, videos, and license plate information to those officials,” said Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
“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.”
Essayli added that she’s expected to appear in federal court in Los Angeles tomorrow for her initial appearance.
