Chinese Mar-a-Lago trespasser convicted after lying to Secret Service at Trump's Florida resort
Woman lied to multiple federal agents, and was found frantically sending text messages in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom
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Your support makes all the difference.The Chinese businesswoman arrested in March after illegally entering Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort has been found guilty of trespassing and making false statements by a Florida court.
The conviction of Yujing Zhang on Wednesday came after an unusual trial, which had been delayed by an underwear issue, and had included an incredibly short, 20-second opening statement from the defendant in which she proclaimed her love of America and said she did nothing wrong.
The woman arrived at Mar-a-Lago in March, after arriving in the country from her home in Shanghai. During the trial, prosecutors said that she had originally been slated to attend a Chinese-American friendship event at the resort, but that the event had been cancelled — and Zhang had been informed of that prior to her departure.
The 33-year-old chose to come to the US anyway, at which point she arrived at the president's resort, and told US Secret Service she was there to use the pool.
Those statements led resort management to believe she was the daughter of a member, and admitted her onto the premises. She then continued in and lied to a second Secret Service agent, telling him she was at the resort for the friendship event that was cancelled.
"The United States scored a touchdown in this case," US attorney Rolando Garcia, told the jury.
Zhang, who fired her publicly provided attorneys, represented herself, and gave only brief closing arguments. She told the jury that she visited the resort, and "I did nothing wrong."
She faces up to six years in prison for trespassing and lying to a federal agent.
Zhang became suspicious in the resort while taking photos and video from inside the resort's lavish lobby, which violates the rules there. She was then accused of being seen inside of a women's restroom, where she was pacing and sending frantic text messages.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that anyone who believes Zhang is a spy or somehow employed by the Chinese government is engaged in "science fiction".
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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