Is the Chinese woman accused of infiltrating President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort a spy?
The Chinese woman, who has been accused of infiltrating President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, has been identified. An investigation has been launched into 33-year-old Yujing Zhang after the incident, prompting speculations whether Zhang is a federal spy.
Reports state that the passport and visa photos of the Chinese businesswoman were submitted in the case on Monday along with other court documents. The 33-year-old was arrested on March 30, just days after entering the country. Authorities apprehended her after she lied to officials and entered a restricted section at the president's Florida estate.
After officials began probing into Zhang, they found she was carrying four cellphones, a laptop computer, an external hard drive, a USB drive containing computer malware and a device to detect hidden cameras. Zhang, however, has denied any wrongdoing and her lawyer has stated that the businesswoman paid a sum of $20,000 to an associate to assist her to get into an event at the Mar-a-Lago resort in an attempt to boost her investment business. She had told a receptionist that she was at the resort to attend a “United Nations Chinese American Associate’’ event. The problem was, there was no such event scheduled.
According to court records, the 33-year-old entered the United States on a 10-year-visa which she obtained in 2016. Such visas permit people from other countries to come and go out of the US on a temporary basis for purposes like medical issues and business.
Zhang's stamped passport stated that she had previously been in the US at least four times, once in September, January, December of 2017 and in July 2016. The records submitted to the court also included pictures of Chinese events promoter Weitan Li, who goes by the name “Dr. Charles Lee” and runs a business that brings overseas clients to Mar-a-Largo. Zhang reportedly knew Charles through a Chinese social media app.
The 33-year-old reportedly told investigators that "Charles" had assisted her in arranging a trip to the resort and the non-existent event. Her lawyers said that her claim can be proved that she was present at the resort for innocent purposes. Lee, in one of the pictures submitted to the court, can be seen with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and in another, former UN Secretary Ban Ki -Moon.
The woman has been charged with making false statements to a federal officer and entering or remaining in a restricted area. These charges carry a prison sentence of up to five years.