Chinese woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago had device used to detect hidden cameras, thousands in cash in hotel room

Zhang was arrested by Secret Service on March 30 at Mar-a-Lago. At the time of her arrest she was carrying two Chinese passports, four cellphones, a laptop, and a device containing malware.

She originally told authorities she was there to swim but later changed her story.

A search of her Palm Beach hotel room found nine thumb drives, five cellphone SIM cards, more than $7,500 in cash, and a device used to detect hidden cameras, authorities said.

“She lies to everyone she encounters,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Rolando Garcia said Monday, according to the Washington Post.

However, Garcia said there is “no allegation” Zhang was involved in “any espionage.”

Zhang entered the U.S. legally on March 28, flying into Newark from Shanghai. Two days later she appeared at a Mar-a-Lago security checkpoint, telling security she was there to swim. Mar-a-Lago employees believed she was related to a member of the club and allowed her access to the property.

Shortly after she was asked by a receptionist why she was there. Zhang said she was there for “a United Nations Chinese American Association event later in the evening,” according to the criminal complaint, but the receptionist said there was no such event.

Zhang was then taken to a different location for questioning by Secret Service when she became “verbally aggressive.”

She has been charged with lying to Secret Service about why she was at Mar-a-Lago.

The Miami Herald reported last week that the FBI is investigating whether the Chinese are spying on Trump at his Florida resort.

The investigation originally centered on Li “Cindy” Yang, a a South Florida business owner and Republican donor who has promoted events at Mar-a-Lago to Chinese business executives wanting access to Trump and his family.