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Chinese national sentenced to eight months in prison for trespassing at Trump's resort

By Zachary Fagenson

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club is shown ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Dorian in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2019. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo

 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Reuters) - A Chinese woman was sentenced to eight months in prison in a federal court on Monday after she was convicted of bluffing her way into U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, sparking fears she could pose an intelligence threat.

 

Yujing Zhang, 33, was found guilty in September of lying to a federal officer and trespassing at the Palm Beach resort by a U.S. District Court 12-member jury in Fort Lauderdale after a two-day trial.

 

Zhang has already served more than seven-and-a-half months of the eight-month sentence, starting from the time of her arrest. She was also sentenced to two years of supervised release by District Court Judge Roy Altman.

 

"The evidence was overwhelming that Zhang lied time and time again to the Secret Service agents when she came to Mar-a-Lago," Altman said during the sentencing hearing.

 

Zhang, who has maintained her innocence, made international headlines in March when she was arrested carrying multiple electronic devices at the resort.

 

"I came to the property and just followed the instructions and asked where to go. I don't think I am lying," she said in court. "I came to meet the President and family to just make friends."

 

TAKING PHOTOS

On March 30, Zhang passed an initial Secret Service checkpoint by passing herself off as a relative of a resort member of the same name and telling club security personnel she was going to the pool.

 

But once she gained access to the grounds her behavior, including shooting many photographs, aroused suspicion.

 

At one point before she was arrested, Zhang told club personnel she was there for a United Nations Chinese American Association event, which turned out to be nonexistent, federal prosecutors said.

 

The question of what she was doing at the club remained unanswered as prosecutors offered no explanation in court for her motives.

 

Zhang's actions sparked concerns she might have been a spy. But U.S. experts told Reuters her attempt to enter the club was so clumsy that while she has been linked to the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, it was hard to believe she was a professional spy.

 

In a court filing this month, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rolando Garcia asked Altman to consider an 18-month prison sentence for Zhang rather than the suggested six months in the sentencing guidelines.

 

Garcia wrote a stiffer penalty was warranted because of the seriousness of the crimes, the need to deter similar conduct, and because Zhang lied to another federal judge about her finances.

 

(Reporting by Zachary Fagenson in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by Sandra Maler and Matthew Lewis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-26

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[Tug]

Heck trump is the bigger security risk imo

[sunnyboy2018]

A vunerable person manipulated by the Chinese government.

[ezzra]

Had an American would trespass on China's Xi Jinping property that sentence would be like 80 years in prison...

[neeray]

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

she could pose an intelligence threat.

An "intelligence threat"!

No way, unbelievable. Not possible. Trump has got a very firm handle on intelligence matters.

As Tug has pointed out, biggest threat is Trump himself.

[Boon Mee]

The TDS is strong ???? in this thread! 555 ???? 

[legend49]

"The evidence was overwhelming that Zhang lied time and time again to the Secret Service agents when she came to Mar-a-Lago," Altman said during the sentencing hearing.

 

And Trump lies time and time again, not seen him do jail time .

[Proboscis]

7 hours ago, ezzra said:

Had an American would trespass on China's Xi Jinping property that sentence would be like 80 years in prison...

But President Xi does not own properties like that. But his family does . . . !

[jany123]

8 months incarceration with two years supervised release.... for trespass... not!

 

she is being punished for making those Divided States, wherein the trump uses insecure locations for his extensive leisure time (another promise broken, right?) look stupid.

Edited November 26, 2019 by jany123

[The Theory]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

"I came to meet the President and family to just make friends."

????????????????

[Sujo]

8 months for trespass. Can trump please get a few years for being an idiot giving classified info to russia.

 

all she needed to do was say she was russian and trump would have told her everything.

[neeray]

59 minutes ago, The Theory said:

15 hours ago, webfact said:

"I came to meet the President and family to just make friends."

????????????????

Trump does not have friends. He only has friends while and if they have something to offer him.

Yujing Zhang had nothing to offer. Case closed.

[MarcB]

What's with all the Trump bashing?
The guy probably wasn't even there...

 

If I have a private compound with security, and some Thai guy wants to tress pass...Am I to blame then as well?

 

I get it, 50% didn't vote for Trump, so they keep whining that they lost the election and there is not 1 single day that passes by without someone having to say something bad about Trump.

It's ridiculous.

 

Were the other 50% doing that too when Obama or Clinton were in office?

Have some dignity, or don't go vote anymore if you can't take the loss

 

It's called an election, you lost, maybe next time better

In the meanwhile, nothing changes, everything stays the same

 

[Traubert]

15 hours ago, ezzra said:

Had an American would trespass on China's Xi Jinping property that sentence would be like 80 years in prison...

He has no property but regardless of that, no-one would get within ten miles unless known or invited.

[jany123]

24 minutes ago, MarcB said:

What's with all the Trump bashing?
The guy probably wasn't even there...

 

If I have a private compound with security, and some Thai guy wants to tress pass...Am I to blame then as well?

 

I get it, 50% didn't vote for Trump, so they keep whining that they lost the election and there is not 1 single day that passes by without someone having to say something bad about Trump.

It's ridiculous.

 

Were the other 50% doing that too when Obama or Clinton were in office?

Have some dignity, or don't go vote anymore if you can't take the loss

 

It's called an election, you lost, maybe next time better

In the meanwhile, nothing changes, everything stays the same

 

Mar a lago is a resort and tourist attraction... it is not a private compound. the trump uses it instead of private compounds with proven security, because he profits from it personally... he’s corrupt.

 

and... for a lot of people, the reason they dislike trump is his actions since coming to office. You can ramble on about elections all you want, but that’s partisan spin in order to keep rednecks on board... as in, all you good ole boys voted for the trump and the dems want to overturn your vote.

 

he has proven himself to be a pathetic statesman and the worst president in history... it’s not about over turning anyone’s vote... it’s about the potus being held to account for his high crimes and misdemeanors... he, like other citizens, is not above the laws of the land

 

and everything does not stay the same.... the US under trump is becoming less and less popular by the day, in the eyes of the world. 

 

But putin likes him.

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by jany123