Remote Surveillance Trailer in Irvine, CA

Federal authorities have charged a California realtor with spying on the son of the president of Taiwan in the United States.

Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather Zhang, was taken into custody Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, where she’d planned to board a flight to China. The 34-year-old resident of Irvine, in Orange County, was charged with acting in the U.S. as an unregistered agent of the government of the People’s Republic of China.

According to Realtor.com, Zhang is a licensed realtor with JC Pacific Capital Inc. in Irvine and has sold more than 100 properties worth an average of $3.3 million.

“The complaint in this case lays bare a brazen plot directed by the Chinese government to conduct a covert surveillance mission on U.S. soil,” Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said in a news release. “Wanying Zhang’s arrest for allegedly acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government makes clear how far China’s authoritarian regime will go to advance its goals.”

According to court documents, Zhang worked in the U.S. as an agent of the Chinese government between June and September 2025 without notifying the U.S. Attorney General as required by federal law.

During that time, at the direction and control of Chinese government officials, Zhang arranged with others to promote Chinese interests by surveilling the Seattle home of a family member of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The office did not directly name Zhang's alleged target, but the FBI later shared a New York Post report identifying him as Lai Ting-yu, a U.S. resident and the son of Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te.

In June 2025, according to court documents, Zhang traveled from Southern California to China, where she met with Chinese government officials and was tasked with the U.S. surveillance. The documents say Zhang attended Beijing's University of International Relations, which is linked to China’s intelligence apparatus.

On Aug. 29, 2025, the documents said, Zhang and another unidentified person departed John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Las Vegas, then flew to Seattle three days later. As they left, Zhang messaged a photo of her boarding pass to a person believed to be a Chinese government official.

Upon arrival, Zhang and the other person rented a car and drove to the Lai's home where, according to an affidavit filed by FBI special agent Kevin Holt, a neighbor’s home security camera showed them apparently collecting phone camera footage from Lai's car and his family arriving at the home.

Zhang messaged the government official, saying, “Saw him, young male, it’s the young one.” When the official asked Zhang to join an audio call, the affidavit said, she responded, “I am videorecording.”

In addition to video footage, Zhang also sent the official license plate numbers for two vehicles parked in front of the home, the affidavit said.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the objections of the government in Taipei, and has never renounced use of force to bring Taiwan under its control even as it says it would prefer "peaceful reunification."

According to Holt's affidavit, the surveillance was designed to acquire potential leverage over the Taiwanese president in the event of conflict.

"In addition to modernizing its military, the PRC has embarked on coercive activities that go beyond normal diplomatic, economic, and security activities, which are meant to erode Taiwan’s will to fight a war against China," Holt wrote.

If convicted, Zhang would face up to 10 years in federal prison.

“Protecting our national security means confronting foreign governments that engage in covert operations in our nation,” said Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.

Earlier this year, a Southern California man received a four-year federal sentence for covertly operating as a Chinese agent while serving as campaign advisor to a local city council candidate, carrying out orders that included monitoring Taiwan's former president during her 2023 California visit.

With reporting by Reuters.

Irvine, Calif., Sept. 22, 2026 — For the 12^th year running, the University of California, Irvine has landed among the top 10 public universities in the country, placing eighth in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 list of “Best Colleges” – its highest public-university ranking in over a decade.

Released today as part of U.S. News’ annual evaluation of more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities, the findings cement UC Irvine’s reputation as one of the nation’s premier public research institutions. The campus also placed 34^th among all U.S. universities – public and private combined – and earned recognition across more than a dozen additional categories, from upward social mobility to individual academic programs.

For UC Irvine, the achievement is more than a number. It reflects a campuswide commitment to a proposition that can sound almost radical in American higher education: that world-class academics don’t have to be at odds with genuine affordability.

“We are all very pleased that U.S. News & World Report has once again recognized the distinguished excellence of our teaching, research and public service,” said UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman. “Being in the top 10 for the 12^th consecutive year is especially gratifying in light of our commitment to inclusive excellence and educating our state’s best and most talented students regardless of their financial circumstances.”

A track record that keeps improving

UC Irvine’s rise to No. 8 among publics builds on more than a decade of steady momentum. The campus was also named eighth in Best Value Schools for In-State Students and 11^th in Top Performers on Social Mobility, a category that recognizes universities that enroll and graduate large numbers of students who receive federal Pell Grants – need-based aid for undergraduates facing significant financial hardship. UC Irvine has long been counted among the best in the country at graduating its Pell recipients, proof that access and excellence can move forward together.

In addition, the campus placed 16^th in Best Colleges for Veterans and 50^th among Most Innovative Schools, underscoring a breadth of strength that extends well beyond a single headline ranking.

U.S. News also evaluated a wide range of individual undergraduate and programs this year. UC Irvine disciplines ranked among the nation’s best include:

Making excellence affordable

Perhaps no myth is more persistent in higher education than the idea that a top-tier degree comes with a price tag out of reach for most families. UC Irvine has spent years working to dismantle that perception through some of the most robust financial aid programs in the UC system.

Through the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, tuition and fees are fully covered for qualifying sons and daughters of California-resident families earning less than $100,000 a year. The Middle Class Scholarship extends support to families earning up to $234,000 annually, recognizing that the financial strain of college reaches well beyond the lowest-income households. Layered on top of those flagship programs are federal Pell Grants, institutional scholarships, hundreds of private awards administered through the campus’s financial aid office, and work-study opportunities that let students earn while they learn.

The result, university officials said, is that many UC Irvine graduates cross the commencement stage with far less debt than peers at private institutions – and, in a meaningful number of cases, none at all.

Degrees that pay off – in every sense

The return on that investment shows up in graduates’ careers. Studies consistently find that college alumni earn up to $1 million more over their careers than peers whose education ended with a high school diploma, and UC Irvine’s strength in high-demand fields – engineering, computer science, business, health sciences, and the biological and physical sciences – puts graduates in front of employers across Orange County and the broader Southern California economic corridor.

Many UC Irvine alumni are the first in their families to complete a four-year college education – a milestone that reshapes not just their own futures but the opportunities available to the generations that follow. It’s a return this year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings make official but one UC Irvine students and graduates have been living for years.

Leaders in higher education innovation

U.S. News also assessed the most innovative universities, and UC Irvine is in the top 50. Its strength in innovation is evident not only in groundbreaking discoveries but also in how it innovates teaching, research, technology and entrepreneurship.

Recent examples demonstrate innovation taking shape across the campus. For instance, the newly established Department of Systems Biology integrates mathematical modeling, genomics and experimental biology to tackle increasingly complex scientific questions. Additionally, UC Irvine is advancing the use of artificial intelligence through ZotGPT, a secure campus AI ecosystem that supports students, faculty and staff.

This culture of creativity extends beyond the classroom. Beall Applied Innovation assists faculty in transforming breakthroughs into patents, startups and commercial applications while connecting researchers with entrepreneurs, investors and industry partners. Students have similar opportunities through programs like the Stella Zhang New Venture Competition and the ANTrepreneur Center, where they can develop, test and launch new ideas. These efforts collectively facilitate the transition from discovery to practical application; strengthen Orange County’s entrepreneurial ecosystem; and amplify UC Irvine’s impact through innovative technologies, companies and partnerships.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.

The City of Irvine expanded its trail network today with the opening of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail (JOST) Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge, as elected officials, City staff, cyclists, and community members were the first to walk and ride onto the bridge following a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

At nearly 1,200 feet long and 15 feet wide, it is the largest pedestrian and bicycle bridge in Irvine. It spans Walnut Avenue, the Jeffrey Road Park & Ride, and the I-5 Freeway. It also connects to the Jeffrey Open Space Trail and Cypress Village Trail to the north and the JOST extension to the south.

The bridge is part of a larger regional trail network that extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Santa Ana Mountains and Cleveland National Forest, providing greater access for people walking and biking throughout Irvine and beyond.

“The Jeffrey Open Space Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge marks an important milestone in Irvine’s long-term vision for a connected and sustainable community,” said Mayor Larry Agran. “At nearly 1,200 feet, the bridge completes a vital 5-mile corridor through the heart of our City, giving residents a safer, healthier, and more enjoyable way to walk, bike, and connect with their neighborhoods and our remarkable open spaces. This project reflects Irvine’s longstanding commitment to thoughtful planning, environmental stewardship, and creating a community designed around the well-being of the people who live here.”

The Jeffrey Open Space Trail opened in 2015 with 3.5 miles of meandering trails featuring art installations that highlight the history of the area. In March 2024, work began on the bridge and a trail extension aimed at filling a gap within the trail system. The trail has been extended from Walnut to Smoke Tree and will eventually reach Barranca Parkway.

The project was supported by $14.5 million in state funding secured by U.S. Representative Dave Min (CA-47) when he served as State Senator. Caltrans provided an additional $5,056,000 for the project.

The JOST bridge includes 2,400 linear feet of steel truss railing, 40 custom-designed decorative steel plate light poles, landscaping, and 300 linear feet of decorative concrete block walls featuring Italian Villa Stone Veneer.

To put its size into perspective, the bridge stretches more than three football fields in length, the equivalent of five Boeing 747s lined up, or four times the height of the Statue of Liberty.