(MIAMI HERALD) — A Chinese businesswoman was found guilty Wednesday of trespassing at Mar-a-Lago and lying to a federal agent about why she was at President Donald Trump’s private Palm Beach club, capping a bizarre federal trial where the enigmatic defendant’s true purpose in coming to the resort was never answered.
Was Yujing Zhang, 33, just a bumbling tourist or an agent of Beijing’s government? One thing is certain: Zhang, who has been in federal custody since her arrest March 30, now faces up to one year in prison on the trespassing charge and five years on the false-statement offense. She showed no reaction to the verdict.
The 12-member jury deliberated for four-and-a-half hours after a two-day trial in which federal prosecutors accused Zhang of being so bent on entering the posh club to meet Trump that she lied to Secret Service agents and Mar-a-Lago staff, telling them she wanted to attend a gala event she knew had been canceled before she left China.
