Chinese national jailed on charges that he tried to enter Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate

Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Chinese national was ordered held Friday on trespassing charges after police say he tried to enter President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in violation of a court order that he stay away following previous attempts.

Zijie Li, 39, is being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail after being arrested Thursday when he arrived at Mar-a-Lago’s entrance gate in an Uber, the latest in series of contacts he’s had with police and Secret Service agents at or near the estate since July.

Li, who lives in suburban Los Angeles on a student visa, had just been released from a mental hospital, where he had been placed in late October after police found him found near the estate. He is now facing two counts of misdemeanor trespassing.

Li’s arrest comes after a sniper nearly killed Trump at a July rally in Pennsylvania and an alleged would-be assassin stalked him in September at his Palm Beach County golf course. On Friday, the U.S. Justice Department announced it had broken up an Iranian plot to kill Trump.

During Trump’s term as president, there were numerous illegal incursions at Mar-a-Lago, including two by Chinese nationals, but none were attempts to harm him.

According to Town of Palm Beach police reports, Li first tried to enter Mar-a-Lago in July, telling Secret Service agents he had information tying China to the Pennsylvania assassination attempt. He was told to leave and not return.

He was arrested the following week after police say he twice tried to enter Mar-a-Lago. He was charged with misdemeanor trespassing and released on bail, with the judge ordering him to stay away from Mar-a-Lago and Trump.

Then Li last week approached a homeowner near Mar-a-Lago who had placed a Trump campaign sign in her yard, records show. He asked the woman if she was a member of Mar-a-Lago and if she would take him inside. She called police, who took him to a mental hospital for observation.

He was released from the hospital on Thursday, shortly before he returned to Mar-a-Lago, police said. He was arrested again on a misdemeanor trespassing charge. Bail for his previous arrest was revoked.

The Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Li, declined to comment. It does not typically comment on pending cases.

Mar-a-Lago was the scene of at least five intrusions during Trump’s first term as president, including the two by Chinese nationals.

In August 2020, three teenagers fleeing police while carrying a semiautomatic gun in a backpack jumped a wall at Mar-a-Lago. They were arrested immediately, and police said they did not believe the teens knew where they were. Trump was not at the estate.

In January 2020, two Palm Beach sheriff’s deputies opened fire on a Connecticut opera singer who sped through a checkpoint outside Mar-a-Lago while having a mental breakdown. She was not hit and was arrested nearby. She was later found not guilty by reason of insanity. She had been charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing arrest and resisting an officer without violence.

In March 2019, Chinese national Yujing Zhang gained access to Mar-a-Lago while carrying a laptop, phones and other electronic gear. That led to initial speculation that the Shanghai businesswoman might be a spy, but she was never charged with espionage. Text messages she exchanged with a trip organizer indicated she was a fan of the president and wanted to meet him or his family to discuss possible deals. She was found guilty of trespassing and deported.

In December 2019, the club’s security officers confronted another Chinese national, Jing Lu, then 56, for trespassing and told her to leave, but she returned to take photos. Lu was charged with loitering and resisting an officer without violence. She was later acquitted of trespassing but found guilty of resisting arrest.

On Thanksgiving weekend 2018, a University of Wisconsin student visiting the area with his parents walked into Mar-a-Lago by mingling with a group that was entering. He was arrested and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.