A California real estate agent accused of spying for China has been denied bail after a detention hearing in Los Angeles.

Wanying ‘Heather’ Zhang, 34, of Irvine, was arrested at Los Angeles airport on October 4 while boarding a flight to Shanghai. The FBI charged her with acting as an unregistered agent of China.

Prosecutors say Zhang travelled to Seattle in September 2025 and, at the direction of Chinese officials, surveilled the son of Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te. She allegedly sent photos, videos and licence-plate details to her handlers over WeChat.

At the hearing on October 7, prosecutors said Zhang had access to a secret Chinese cryptocurrency account holding $190,000 and was still receiving profits from it. They also pointed to her brother’s ties to the Chinese government and a dozen one-way trips to China, Paris and Japan.

Judge Steve Kim ruled that Zhang was a flight risk and ordered her held without bail. She is expected back in court on October 19.

Taiwan’s Presidential Office condemned the case as a classic example of transnational repression.