A Chinese woman arrested for trespassing at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in 2019 has been deported to China following delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Yujing Zhang, 35, arrived in her native China on Sunday after she was held in immigration custody for nearly two years after serving an eight-month prison sentence. She filed a habeas corpus petition in December 2020 asking for expedited release to China but was not successful.
TWO CHARGED WITH TRESPASSING AT TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO RESORT
Her arrival home marks the end of a bizarre trespassing case.
Zhang was convicted in September 2019 for trespassing and lying to the Secret Service during the incident that took place in March of that year. The time she served leading up to the trial counted toward her sentence, and she was released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in December 2019 for deportation. Zhang’s case didn’t proceed before the pandemic shut down international travel in March 2020.
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Zhang, who pleaded not guilty, elected to represent herself during the proceedings despite having a limited grasp of English. National security concerns surrounded her trial as Trump was president at the time.
During her sentencing, Zhang insisted she was only trying to make friends with Trump and his family.
At the time of her arrest, she was carrying two Chinese passports, four cellphones, a laptop, and a device containing malware. In a search of her hotel room, prosecutors said a device was found that could detect hidden cameras and more than $7,500 in cash. When asked why she had a signal detection device, Zhang told the judge, “I’m just cautious … because I’m a female … for my security.”
The public defender said that there was “nothing nefarious” about her behavior and that she was a Trump aficionado who had grandiose plans to go into business with the Trump family.
There was another case of a Chinese national allegedly trespassing in the resort as well as others.
