Chinese woman Lu Jing charged after trespassing at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort

Told to leave, 56-year-old intruder returns to take photos, and is arrested and found to have an expired visa

In previous case, a Shanghai businesswoman served eight months in prison for trespassing, after indicating she wanted to meet Trump to discuss deals

Reading Time:3 minutes

A booking photo of Lu Jing, a Chinese national who trespassed at US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on Wednesday. Photo: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office via AP

Published: 3:23pm, 19 Dec 2019Updated: 1:57am, 20 Dec 2019

The latest Chinese intruder at US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida appeared in court on Thursday, with a judge appointing a public defender as her lawyer and ordering that she remain in custody.

Lu Jing, 56, is charged with misdemeanour counts of loitering or prowling and resisting arrest without violence. A judge granted US$2,000 bail but ordered Lu continue to be held because she is in the US on an expired visa.

The judge also issued an order that Lu stay away from Mar-a-Lago, located on the wealthy Palm Beach barrier island.

Palm Beach police say Lu was confronted by the private club’s security officers at the club’s main entrance on Wednesday and told to leave, but she returned to take photographs, walking down to a service gate.

According to a police affidavit, when security personnel approached, Lu fled on foot and was eventually apprehended in the tony Worth Avenue shopping district in Palm Beach.