TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Chinese American real estate agent accused of surveilling the son of President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) in the US was also allegedly tasked with obtaining the address of an elected Taiwanese official.

Zhang “Heather” Wanying, 34, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday and charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, according to an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt. Law enforcement sources told CBS the alleged surveillance target was Lai’s son, Lai Ting-yu (賴廷與).

According to the affidavit, Zhang appeared to film the victim and sent photographs, videos, and vehicle license plate information to a person believed to be a Chinese government official. FBI investigators also found that Zhang maintained contact with at least two people believed to be Chinese government officials.

Zhang lives in Irvine, California, and previously studied at the University of International Relations in Beijing, which Holt said has ties to China’s intelligence apparatus, including the Ministry of State Security. She was classmates with one of the suspected Chinese officials, identified in court documents as “PRC Official 1,” and remained in contact with him after they graduated around 2014.

In a 2022 WeChat exchange, Zhang asked the official what bureau he was in at the ministry, according to the affidavit. Holt said the exchange indicated Zhang appeared to know that he worked for the Chinese government.

On March 3, 2025, Zhang contacted PRC Official 1 about an address, saying she remembered the street number but had forgotten the street name, according to the complaint. She suggested possible street names and asked him to confirm whether one was correct.

The official replied that they had already figured out the matter and that there was no need to trouble her, according to the affidavit. The two then arranged to meet when Zhang returned to Beijing.

Holt concluded that PRC Official 1 likely tasked Zhang during an earlier trip to China with obtaining information about the address. The investigator said Chinese intelligence agencies frequently assign tasks to people while they are in China to reduce the risk of detection by US authorities.

An FBI footnote states that, based on discussions with other investigators, the address Zhang referenced was in Irvine and had previously been associated with “a Taiwanese elected official, with vocal anti-CCP views.” 

Holt said that Beijing has engaged in coercive activities intended “to erode Taiwan’s will to fight a war against China.” He said information about the homes, vehicles, and locations of close relatives of senior Taiwanese officials could give China leverage over those officials.

Zhang made her first appearance in Los Angeles federal court Monday, where she confirmed her name and that she understood the charge, according to CBS News. Judge Steve Kim scheduled a detention hearing for Wednesday, and Zhang faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison if convicted, according to the Justice Department.