A Chinese man has been arrested by local police in Florida for repeatedly illegally entering former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
The 38-year-old Zijie Li, who resides in California, was arrested on Wednesday (July 31) by local Florida authorities. On Friday (August 2), the man appeared in court for the first time at the Palm Beach County Courthouse, where he is scheduled to appear again on August 5. Police stated that he illegally entered the Mar-a-Lago estate last month.
According to a sworn affidavit reported by the local newspaper “Palm Beach Post” on Friday, Li attempted to enter the Mar-a-Lago estate gate before 8 p.m. on July 19 driving a Toyota Prius.
When Secret Service personnel stopped Li, he claimed to have information about Beijing’s involvement in the assassination attempt on former President Trump and wanted to leave documents. Trump was ambushed by a gunman during a rally on July 13, where he was shot in the right ear. The incident resulted in one fatality and two injuries.
Following the assassination attempt, the Secret Service intensified security measures around Trump and his estate. Starting from July 20, the Secret Service closed South Ocean Boulevard next to the Mar-a-Lago estate.
The agents informed Li that he was engaging in illegal entry and was not allowed to leave any documents.
The Palm Beach police subsequently arrived at the scene and issued a written warning to Li for illegal entry, instructing him not to return or face arrest.
However, Li visited Palm Beach again on July 22. Security cameras in the town captured footage of him driving back and forth over the Royal Park Bridge twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Trump returned to the Mar-a-Lago estate that day.
On July 30 at 5:30 p.m., Li was found driving on South Ocean Boulevard towards the Mar-a-Lago estate, blocking a lane.
An on-duty officer noted that Li was a resident of El Monte, California, and his GPS indicated that his destination was 1100 South Ocean Boulevard, the address of the Mar-a-Lago estate.
Li was then released on the spot. Around 6:45 p.m., Li appeared in the 1200 block of South Ocean Boulevard. A Palm Beach officer and Secret Service agent instructed him again not to return and escorted him out.
Security cameras in town showed that between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on July 31, Li’s vehicle traveled eastward, then crossed the Royal Park Bridge at the northern part of the Mar-a-Lago estate. The arrest report indicated that shortly after, his car was seen driving eastwards over the bridge next to the Mar-a-Lago estate, passing the Secret Service checkpoint and heading south towards Worth Avenue Beach.
By just after 10:00 a.m., Li returned driving east on South Ocean Boulevard, passing through the Secret Service checkpoint and barricades, trying to enter through the southern gate of the Mar-a-Lago estate but was intercepted by security personnel. Officials told him he could not enter, and he left once again. However, due to the previous warnings, the authorities issued a “be on the lookout” alert for Li this time.
The California man was later apprehended at the intersection of Royal Palm Way and County Road in Palm Beach.
Li faces a charge of illegal entry after being warned by police. He is being held at Palm Beach County Jail with a bail set at $10,000.
Over the years, several Chinese individuals have been accused of illegally entering the Mar-a-Lago estate.
Chinese citizen Jing Lu was charged with illegal entry into the Mar-a-Lago estate in December 2019.
Another Chinese citizen, Yujing Zhang, was arrested in 2019, served time in prison in the United States, and was deported back to China in 2021.