AI Image
California woman indicted on charges she was spying for China
NBC News • • nation
Key Points:
- Wanying Zhang, a California woman, was indicted on charges of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent for China, accused of spying on a son of Taiwan’s president between June and September 2025.
- Prosecutors allege Zhang conducted surveillance near the victim’s Seattle-area home, capturing photos, videos, and license plate information, and sending them to a Chinese handler linked to China’s intelligence apparatus.
- Zhang reportedly traveled to China in August 2025 to meet with a Chinese official and was allegedly directed by a former classmate from China’s University of International Relations, which is closely tied to Chinese intelligence.
- Zhang’s defense attorney disputes the allegations, describing her as an upstanding resident and questioning the government’s theory that she acted as a sleeper agent for a decade.
- Zhang remains in pretrial detention and faces up to 15 years in prison; she is scheduled for a post-indictment arraignment in federal court.
