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Chinese national arrested at Mar-a-Lago faces judge

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The Chinese woman now in custody for getting by security at Mar-a-Lago says she is an investment consultant in China with no ties to anyone in the United States.

Yujing Zhang appeared before a federal Magistrate in West Palm Beach Monday on charges of lying to federal agents and being in a restricted area.

Zhang was arrested March 30 on the grounds of Mar-a-Lago carrying four cellphones, a laptop, a hard drive and a thumb drive with malicious malware.

According to a transcript of the Monday hearing, Zhang says she lives in a home in China worth $1.3 million and drives a BMW.

Zhang speaking sometimes through an interpreter, told the magistrate she is having trouble hiring an attorney because she cannot reach her family in China due to rules in the jail that prevent her from making international calls and using a computer.

She was appointed an attorney by the court. Zhang remains in custody until her next court date on Monday.