WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on a bail hearing for a Chinese woman charged with lying to enter President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club (all times local):
2 p.m.
A federal judge has denied bail to a Chinese woman charged with lying to briefly gain admission into President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
Federal Magistrate Judge William Matthewman refused to set bail for 33-year-old Yujing Zhang during a hearing Monday, saying there is an “extreme risk of flight” if she were released. The U.S. doesn’t have an extradition treaty with China.
Matthewman also remarked that “it appears to the court that Ms. Zhang was up to something nefarious” - a reference to the various electronics she was found to be carrying and that she left in her hotel room.
Zhang was arrested March 30 after Secret Service agents say she gained admission to Mar-a-Lago by falsely telling a checkpoint guard she was a member.
The agents say she told a clerk inside she was there for a nonexistent Chinese American event.
A Friday indictment charged her with lying to federal agents and illegal entering.
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1:30 p.m.
A Chinese woman charged with lying to briefly gain admission into President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida has pleaded not guilty.
Yujing Zhang entered the plea on Monday to federal charges of lying to federal agents and illegal entering. She appeared in court dressed in a blue jumpsuit with both her wrists and ankles shackled.
Zhang was arrested March 30 after Secret Service agents say she falsely told a checkpoint guard at the club she was a member.
Federal Magistrate Judge William Matthewman was scheduled to decide whether to grant bail for the 33-year-old Zhang. Even if he did, it’s unlikely she would be released because her U.S. visa has been revoked. Immigration officials would likely detain her if she posted bail.
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1:20 a.m.
A Chinese woman charged with lying to briefly enter President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club is expected to learn whether she will be granted bail, although that likely doesn’t matter.
Federal Magistrate Judge William Matthewman is scheduled to decide Monday whether Yujing Zhang can be released on bail on charges of lying to federal agents and illegal entry. Her visa has been revoked, however, meaning immigration officials would likely detain her if the 32-year-old posts bail.
Zhang was arrested March 30 after Secret Service agents say falsely told agents she is a member of the Florida club.
Agents say she told a clerk inside she was there for a nonexistent Chinese American event. She was arrested after agents found her carrying four cellphones, an external hard drive and a thumb drive containing computer malware.
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