TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Chinese American woman accused of spying on President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) son on behalf of China has been ordered to remain in US federal custody after a judge ruled that she poses a flight risk.

US Magistrate Judge Steve Kim ruled Wednesday that Zhang “Heather” Wanying, 34, should remain detained after prosecutors said she has significant financial and family ties to China, per CBS. Zhang had offered more than NT$38.2 million (US$1.2 million) in real estate as bond, but the judge rejected the request.

Assistant US Attorney Amanda Elbogen told the court that Zhang received NT$6.05 million from an “unregistered cryptocurrency exchange” business, with the money deposited into a Chinese bank account. Prosecutors also said she has hundreds of thousands of US dollars in additional funds in China that she could access.

Zhang, who lives in Orange County, California, is accused of traveling to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese government officials to surveil Lai Ting-yu (賴廷與), the president’s eldest son, and his family. The FBI arrested her Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport and charged her with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government in the US.

Prosecutors told the court that one of Zhang’s brothers had previously worked for the Chinese government, while her parents and siblings currently live in China, CBS reported. Investigators also found that Zhang owns a business in China and that her Chinese bank accounts regularly receive deposits.

Elbogen also confirmed that Zhang has a Chinese passport that investigators have not located. FBI agents did not find the passport during a search of her California residence.

Zhang is a naturalized US citizen, while China’s Nationality Law does not recognize dual nationality. Under Article 9, a Chinese national who settles abroad and voluntarily acquires foreign nationality automatically loses Chinese nationality.

Prosecutors argued that Zhang’s family and financial ties to China created a flight risk if she were released, according to CBS. Kim ultimately sided with prosecutors and ordered Zhang to remain in federal custody.

Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) on Monday said the alleged surveillance was a typical case of transnational repression.

“We strongly condemn such barbaric acts that disregard human rights and the sovereignty of countries, suppress and threaten people who advocate for freedom and democracy, and even harm them or their family members,” Kuo said.