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

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Chinese national was arrested Friday on charges of trespassing after police said he tried to enter the president-elect’s home Donald Trump’s The Mar-a-Lago estate is in violation of a court order that he stay away after previous attempts.

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

Li, who lives on a student visa in a Los Angeles suburb, had just been released from a psychiatric hospital where he had been placed in late October after police found him near the estate. He now faces two misdemeanor charges.

Li’s arrest comes after a sniper almost killed Trump at a July meeting in Pennsylvania and an alleged murderer stalked him at his golf course in Palm Beach County in September. Friday has the The US Department of Justice has announced this it had foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.

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

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

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

Then last week, Li 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 wanted to take him inside. She called the police, who took him to a psychiatric hospital for observation.

He was released from the hospital Thursday, shortly before returning to Mar-a-Lago, police said. He was arrested again on suspicion of breaking the law. Bail for his previous arrest was revoked.

The Palm Beach County District Attorney’s Office, which represents Li, declined to comment. It generally does not comment on current affairs.

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

In August 2020, Three teenagers flee from the police while carrying a semiautomatic pistol in a backpack, he jumped over a wall at Mar-a-Lago. They were immediately arrested 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 nervous 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 citizen Yujing Zhang gained access to Mar-a-Lago while carrying a laptop, phones and other electronic equipment. That led to initial speculation that the Shanghai businesswoman could be a spy, but she was never charged with espionage. Text messages she exchanged with a tour operator indicated she was a fan of the president and wanted to meet with 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 cleared of trespassing but found guilty of resisting arrest.

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