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First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Chinese espionage is “extremely pervasive” in the U.S. following the arrest of an alleged Chinese agent in Los Angeles this month.
Essayli told Digital in an interview that his office has pressed charges against several alleged Chinese spies in recent months, saying Beijing is brazen in its attempts to build their access inside the U.S.
“I think it’s extremely pervasive,” Essayli said of Chinese spying. “China is one of our biggest adversaries, and they’re committed to advancing their interests. And they’re playing the long game, and so they are willing to put a lot of resources into developing sources, recruiting people within the U.S. to advance their interests.
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First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli speaks as U.S. and Canadian law enforcement officials announce federal charges and arrests of alleged members of a transnational organized crime group at FBI offices in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 7, 2026. (REUTERS)
“They’re willing to steal our technology; they’re willing to engage in espionage here. So, there’s no limit to what China is willing to do. It is a huge, huge concern. We have to be vigilant, and we have to disrupt these operations on our soil,” Essayli said. “We have to protect our sovereignty.”
“If you look at just the cases we brought this year, just in my office, I mean, you had cases where the woman from Irvine was engaged in espionage against the Taiwanese president’s family member. I had a guy last week we arrested, he sold more than $300 million in SI chips, formerly known as AI chips, to China,” he continued. “You had a mayor of a local city that we charged for serving as an unregistered agent of China as well, pushing out their propaganda and taking orders from China.”
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This photo provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows Wanying Zhang being arrested Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Federal Bureau of Investigation via AP)
“So, it’s extremely pervasive. It’s a huge problem, but the FBI is on it,” he said. “They have entire squads dedicated to combating this, and we’re committed here at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to supporting those investigations and bringing criminal charges to disrupt these operations.”
Wanying Zhang, 34, of Irvine, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly working with an associate to photograph and record the family outside their Seattle-area home, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Digital.
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Authorities nabbed Zhang, who goes by “Heather” in the U.S., at the Los Angeles airport as she attempted to board a plane to China.
This undated photo released by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, shows Wanying Zhang. (U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California via AP)
Essayli said FBI Los Angeles agents arrested Zhang on a federal charge of acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China.
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She allegedly traveled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials and sent them photos, videos and license plate information.
“She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection,” Essayli wrote. “She never notified the attorney general she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense.”
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Former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang exits federal court after pleading guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent on behalf of the Chinese government. (William Liang/Associated Press)
Speaking on “The Big Weekend Show” Sunday, Essayli said Zhang is a naturalized U.S. citizen and confirmed the alleged surveillance targeted a relative of Taiwan’s president.
“She was conducting surveillance on behalf of the Chinese government. She was acting as a foreign agent,” Essayli said. “And she was spying on a relative of the president of Taiwan here in the U.S.”
The alleged target was Ting-Yu Lai, the U.S.-based son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, CBS News reported, citing law enforcement sources. The complaint does not name him.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli speaks at a Los Angeles press conference announcing developments in a terrorism investigation on Dec. 15, 2025. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)
“Saw him. Young male. It’s that young one,” Zhang allegedly messaged a Chinese government contact while outside the home.
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“I am video recording,” she allegedly added before sending two license plate numbers.
