Federal court records and a CBS News investigation indicate that Wanying "Heather" Zhang, a 34-year-old realtor from Irvine, California, has links to individuals allegedly involved in international criminal enterprises. Federal authorities recently charged Zhang with operating as an unregistered foreign agent. The charges follow allegations that she conducted surveillance on the son of the Taiwanese president in Seattle in 2025.
Zhang was accompanied during her travels by Fatai Miao, a 54-year-old construction entrepreneur who is the registered agent for Yuanjin Development & Construction LLC. While Miao has not been charged with a crime, prosecutors stated that the Irvine home used for his business was allegedly utilized as a "stash house" for a Chinese money laundering organization. An affidavit from a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) task force officer alleged that a member of this organization delivered proceeds from illicit activity to the property in March 2023.
The investigation also identified connections between Zhang’s associates and the Prince Group, a conglomerate the U.S. government claims conducted $15 billion in online scams targeting Americans. A business partner of Miao is also reportedly a partner with Chen Sokly, identified by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project as the man named as an "enforcer" for the Prince Group in a New York indictment. Zhang previously posted social media photos of herself in a luxury car that a cryptocurrency trader, Wenzhi "Wesley" Fei, stated he had borrowed from Sokly. Fei told CBS News he does not know Zhang and is not close with Sokly.
For the American public, these organizations are accused of facilitating multibillion-dollar fraud schemes that directly target U.S. citizens. The alleged money laundering operation mentioned in court filings was also linked by prosecutors to the Sinaloa Cartel, involving the unlicensed exchange of currency and the trafficking of cocaine and methamphetamine. While Zhang has not been charged in connection to the drug ring or the Prince Group, a federal prosecutor stated during a court hearing that she ran an "unlicensed currency exchange" that sent $190,000 in profits to a Chinese bank account.
What happens next: Zhang remains under federal charges for her work as an unregistered agent. Her travel companion, Miao, reportedly flew to China on a one-way ticket three weeks ago and remains there; his son stated Miao did not wish to comment. The Prince Group has denied all allegations, characterizing the U.S. government's actions as an "asset grab" and maintaining that their businesses are legitimate. A separate indictment filed in April 2024 against 24 members of the related money laundering group is moving through the legal system following federal seizures of drugs and cash.