WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—A Chinese woman charged with bluffing her way into President Donald Trump’s Florida resort last month, raising concerns about security at one of the president’s weekend getaways, entered a not guilty plea on April 15 in federal court.
Yujing Zhang was formally indicted on Friday on charges of making false statements to a federal officer and entering or remaining in a restricted area. The counts carry a sentence of up to five years in prison.
During her arraignment and detention hearing in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, a federal prosecutor said Zhang could face more charges.
She has not been indicted on any espionage charges. The FBI is examining whether Zhang has any links to intelligence agencies in China or political influence operations, two U.S. government sources have told Reuters.
Trump was not on the premises at the time.
She was briefly allowed onto the property after staff mistakenly thought she might be the daughter of a club member. She aroused suspicions by variously telling Secret Service agents and Mar-a-Lago reception staff that she wanted to use the pool and that she was there for an event that did not appear on the day’s schedule, according to prosecutors.
Zhang’s lawyer, Robert Adler, has described the incident as a “misunderstanding” and said, “I don’t understand how this could be a trespass charge.”
Prosecutors have said Zhang was carrying four cellphones, a laptop computer, an external hard drive and a thumb drive containing what investigators described as “malicious malware” when she was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service.
Investigators found a device to detect hidden cameras, five cell phone SIM cards and over $8,000 in cash in her hotel room, prosecutors said.
