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Yujing Zhang: Indictment formally filed against Chinese woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago with malware

Charged with entering restricted property and lying to a federal agent.
WPTV-ZHANG-1.jpg
Posted at 3:14 PM, Apr 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-12 15:28:12-04

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla - Authorities have formally charged Yujing Zhang, the Chinese woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago in late March, filing an indictment in federal court Friday.

Zhang, 33, faces two counts, one for entering restricted property and one for lying to a federal agent. WPTV first broke the news of her arrest - the charges are the same that were detailed in the initial criminal complaint.

If convicted, Zhang faces up to one year in prison for entering restricted property. She faces up to five years in prison for lying to a Secret Service agent, and could also be fined up to $250,000, according to court records.

Zhang was arrested at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, March 30, carrying two passports, four cellphones, a laptop, a hard drive and a thumb drive with malware on it. President Donald Trump was in town staying at Mar-a-Lago that same weekend.

A federal prosecutor testified at her bail hearing on April 8 that Secret Services agents found a device to detect hidden cameras while searching her hotel room at the Colony Hotel on Palm Beach. They also found $8,000 in U.S. and Chinese currency, several credit cards in her name, along with an additional nine USB drives and five USB cards.

RELATED: Trump "not concerned" with security breach at Mar-a-Lago | Prosecutors: Chinese woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago had device to spot cameras

Zhang's bail hearing was continued to next Monday, April 15. WPTV NewsChannel 5 will have a crew at her next court appearance and bring updates throughout the hearing.

READ THE INDICTMENT HERE:

YujingZhang Indictment 04122019 19cr80056 by Contact Five on Scribd