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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 9 april 2019

Attorney: Mar-a-Lago infiltrator had hidden-camera detector

By TERRY SPENCER Palm Beach resort and was worth of Chinese currency,
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. found to be carrying two numerous U.S. credit and
(AP) — A Chinese woman Chinese passports, four debit cards, the device
recently arrested at Presi- cellphones, a laptop com- used to find hidden elec-
dent Donald Trump's Mar- puter, an external hard tronics and other computer
a-Lago club lied repeated- drive and a thumb drive gear, he said.
ly to Secret Service agents containing the malware. Secret Service agent Samu-
while carrying computer Matthewman adjourned el Ivanovich told the judge
malware unlike anything a the hearing until next Mon- that when an agency ana-
government analyst had day as Zhang's public de- lyst uploaded the malware
ever seen and had more fender said he's still gath- found on Zhang's thumb
than $8,000 in cash at her ering evidence that could drive, it immediately began
hotel room, along with an justify her release on bail on installing on the analyst's
electronic device that de- charges of lying to federal computer and corrupting
tects hidden cameras, fed- agents and illegal entry to its files.
eral authorities told a judge a restricted area. Garcia "That was something that
Monday. said he expects Zhang will had never happened be-
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ro- be indicted by a federal fore," Ivanovich told the
lando Garcia told Magis- In this artist sketch, a Chinese woman, Yujing Zhang, left, listens grand jury this week on judge. He said the analyst
trate Judge William Mat- to a hearing Monday, April 8, 2019, before federal Magistrate those charges. immediately shut down the
thewman during a bond Judge William Matthewman in West Palm Beach, Fla. He said Zhang would be a computer to protect it. He
hearing that "there are a lot Associated Press "serious risk of flight" if she said the malware's ultimate
of questions that remain" were released while await- purpose remains unknown.
about 32-year-old Yujing gating whether Zhang is a 30 after Secret Service ing trial, as she has no ties to When agents analyze sus-
Zhang spy. agents said she lied to gain the United States. The State picious devices that might
He said the FBI is still investi- Zhang was arrested March admission to the president's Department revoked her contain malicious software,
visa last week, he said, so it is done in a controlled
even if released on bond, environment and not per-
she would be detained by formed on a computer
immigration officials. She connected to any govern-
arrived in the U.S. on a flight ment networks, according
from Shanghai to Newark, to Secret Service officials.
New Jersey, two days be- While questioning Ivanov-
fore her arrest. ich, public defender Robert
Zhang sat quietly at the Adler presented Zhang as
defense table during the not fluent in English and sug-
two-hour hearing, scrib- gested she may not have
bling notes in Chinese char- been lying, but misunder-
acters as she listened to a standing agents' questions.
translator through head- He pointed out that Zhang
phones. She wore a blue made no attempt to hide
jail jumpsuit and her wrists her electronic gear while
were shackled. entering Mar-a-Lago and
"She lies to everyone she agreed to be interviewed
encounters," Garcia told for almost nine hours.
the judge. He said that not Adler asked that the hear-
only did Zhang falsely tell ing be adjourned as he
a Secret Service agent at believes he can present
a Mar-a-Lago checkpoint evidence next week that
that she was a member would justify her release
there to use the pool, even on bail while assuring she
though she had no swim- wouldn't flee.
suit, she told agents she Zhang's arrest has raised
was carrying her comput- questions about Mar-a-
er gear because she was Lago's security during the
afraid the items would be president's visits. There's no
stolen if she left them in her evidence Zhang ever ap-
hotel room. proached the president
But when agents searched and it is believed he was
it, they found $7,620 in U.S. at his nearby golf course
currency, another $663 when she arrived.q