This archive report was first published on 12 September 2019.
On September 12, 2019, a Chinese businesswoman, Ms. Zhang, was found guilty of trespassing at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort owned by President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors presented evidence that Ms. Zhang had been aware of the cancellation of the event she claimed to be attending, but still traveled to the United States and visited Mar-a-Lago, where she lied to Secret Service agents about her intentions.
According to text messages introduced in court, Ms. Zhang's Beijing contact had suggested she attend an event featuring Bill and Hillary Clinton or another event with Warren Buffett, but she had initially declined, saying 'I'm not going' and 'Forget it.'
However, later that same day, Ms. Zhang bought a plane ticket to the United States, paid over $2,000 in cash, and booked a room at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach before visiting Mar-a-Lago.
The trial focused on the narrow questions of whether Ms. Zhang trespassed on restricted property and lied to Secret Service agents, rather than whether she was engaging in espionage, a question that had been widely debated in the media.
