WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A judge ruled Monday that a Chinese woman must remain jailed on charges that she lied to a federal officer after entering Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's resort, saying he deemed her a flight risk.
During a hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman appeared swayed by the argument made by federal prosecutors that Yujing Zhang -- who authorities said made her way through Mar-a-Lago's security last month before being arrested carrying multiple cellphones and other electronics -- had ulterior motives in accessing the president's club.
It appeared that "Ms. Zhang was up to something nefarious," Matthewman said during the hearing.
Zhang was indicted by a grand jury, charging her with the same two counts -- entering restricted grounds and making a false statement to the Secret Service -- she faced previously, according to the indictment filed Friday. On Monday, she entered a plea of innocent and asked for a jury trial.
Her ability to enter Mar-a-Lago and subsequent arrest heightened questions about security at the resort frequented by the president, where members, who are also his paying customers, and guests can be in the same room as the commander in chief. Intelligence officials have suggested that foreign spies who never see Trump could still find value in a room filled with his aides and associates.
Additional charges in the case are "possible," Assistant U.S. Attorney Rolando Garcia told Matthewman on Monday.
Garcia also amended a statement authorities made previously in the case. While officials have said that Zhang was arrested carrying a thumb drive with malware, on Monday, he said that appeared to be a "false positive."
One of Zhang's public defenders, Kristy Militello, told Matthewman she believes that Zhang, who works as a business consultant, was confused by the agents' questions and they misunderstood her when they say she said she was a member. Zhang speaks English, but her level of expertise is disputed by the prosecution and defense. During court hearings, she listened to a Mandarin translator but also spoke directly to her attorneys occasionally.
Militello said Zhang had gone to Mar-a-Lago believing there would be a dinner that evening for a United Nations group, part of a $20,000 travel package she had purchased from a man named "Charles" she only knew through social media. Militello pointed to a receipt Zhang received from Charles Lee, a Chinese national who promotes such events at Mar-a-Lago, and a flyer she had promoting it. She requested Zhang be released on $250,000 bail secured by her father and said she would wear a monitoring device to ensure she didn't leave the area.
"It is a sad fact of this case that if a Mandarin interpreter was provided at that first contact with the Secret Service, we very well may not be here," Militello told Matthewman. She said Zhang cooperated with agents, followed their directions, allowed her belongings to be searched and sat through nine hours of questioning.
Lee ran the United Nations Chinese Friendship Association and was photographed at least twice with Cindy Yang, a Republican donor and former Florida massage parlor owner. Yang recently made news after it was learned she was promising Chinese business leaders that her consulting firm could get them access to Mar-a-Lago, where they could mingle with the president.
Yang previously owned a spa where New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged with soliciting prostitution. Kraft has pleaded innocent but also apologized for his behavior.
Zhang faces no charges of espionage in the high-profile case, and Garcia said during her hearing last week that there were no allegations she was "a spy or this is espionage."
The indictment filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida similarly makes no mention of any espionage elements, noting only that she "knowingly" entered restricted grounds.
According to the penalty sheet filed with the indictment, she could face up to six years in prison and more than $250,000 in fines if convicted on the two counts.
Information for this article was contributed by Terry Spencer of The Associated Press.
A Section on 04/16/2019