California Realtor Accused of Spying for China Appears in Court

The complaint alleges meetings in China, surveillance near Seattle, and contacts through a Beijing university linked to the Chinese intelligence apparatus.

California Realtor Accused of Spying for China Appears in Court

TL;DR

  • A California realtor, Wanying “Heather” Zhang, has been charged with acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese regime.
  • Prosecutors allege she surveilled the U.S.-based son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and his family at Beijing's direction.
  • Zhang was arrested by the FBI at Los Angeles International Airport on October 4th.
  • She appeared in court on Monday and remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.