The police were called to the property Wednesday, but did not confirm to the press if there was a trespasser on the grounds.
“There’s an ongoing investigation right now, and we’re working on it,” said Michael Ogrodnick, a spokesman for the Palm Beach Police Department, to The Miami Herald. “We will let you know as soon as we have something, which should be soon.”
The president has tweeted that he plans on spending the winter holiday season at the club, which he called “the Southern White House” in the same tweet.
This isn’t the first time that a trespassing incident on the grounds of Mar-A-Lago has been investigated.
Yujing Zhang, a 33 year-old Chinese National, was convicted of entering a restricted area and lying to a federal agent in September.
Zhang, a businesswoman, had told agents that she intended to use the club’s pool, but in fact she was determined to attend a gala on the grounds of the club and meet President Trump - a gala that had been cancelled before her arrival in the country.
Agents allowed her in because her name sounded similar to that of a member, but soon she was arrested.
A Fort Lauderdale federal court sentenced Zhang to 8 months in jail on November 25—time served, since Zhang had been behind bars since her March 30 arrest. The U.S. Attorney’s Office had sought a year and a half of jail time for Zhang.
“I already said I come to meet the president and his family and make friends,” Zhang testified before U.S. District Judge Roy Altman after a trial in which she represented herself.
“You wanted to come to make friends with the president and his family?” Altman replied.
Zhang said yes, but also later said that she had been invited to the club—a claim that court officials found dubious.
Zhang’s hotel room had multiple electronic devices within it, including a signal detection device, which can be used to discover hidden cameras and microphones.
“I’m just cautious… because I’m a female… for my security,” Zhang said, when asked why she had a signal detection device in her room.
Zhang fired her court-provided representation from the public defender’s office. Assistant Federal Public Defender Kristy Militello offered Zhang some advice on the side during the sentencing portion of the trial. Militello said at the sentencing hearing that Zhang harbored a “fantastical idea” about sharing a business partnership with Trump and meant no harm by her appearance at the resort.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rolando Garcia disagreed. “She had an agenda to be on that property,” he said before the court.
While Secret Service agents originally said that Zhang was carrying a thumb drive containing malware, she was not convicted of espionage charges. She currently faces deportation.
While Mar-a-Lago is a members-only club, the public may buy tickets to attend galas or other events on the grounds.
