Chinese national faces prison after being detained at Mar-a-Lago

A Chinese woman found guilty of resisting arrest on President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property was sentenced to six months in prison on Friday.

Jing Lu was ultimately acquitted of the trespassing charge against her, but will go to prison for “resisting” officers during the December incident.

According to the Palm Beach Post, on 18 December, Lu was touring a number of spots in South Florida, including Mar-a-Lago. She walked through an open gate at the resort and began taking photos inside, according to Palm Beach police.

A Mar-a-Lago security guard approached her and told her to leave, but realised she did not speak English. He tried to signal to her to leave, which she did. Lu later returned and continued taking photos on her cell phone. She was again asked to leave by security.

Lu continued on her tour, but was later intercepted by police who asked her about her visit to the resort. She showed them her photos and thought the police wanted her to delete them, but began to protest when the police attempted to arrest her for going to the club.

During her court hearing, she explained her confusion through a Mandarin interpreter.

“I said ‘No, what are you doing? I just took a couple of pictures,” Lu said.

Assistant Public Defender Schnelle Tonge told the jury that Lu made “an honest mistake.”

A potential juror that was eventually dismissed before the final jury was chosen asked “why we’re here” and said the situation should have resulted with little more than “a slap on the wrist and get on with your business”.

Assistant State Attorney Alexandra Dorman painted Lu as a nefarious actor, suggesting her decision to walk onto the property was “not an honest mistake. This was a calculated decision.”

Lu is the second Chinese national to face punishment for their behaviour at Mar-a-Lago this year. Yujing Zhang trespassed at the resort in March and was found guilty in November of lying to federal officers and trespassing in a restricted zone.