US Secret Service agents last week caught a Chinese woman trying to visit President Trump's resort hotel in Florida with a USB stick carrying malware.
The woman, Yujing Zhang, was trying to enter Trump's Mar-a-Lago hotel on Saturday when the President was staying at the site. However, US Secret Service agents stopped Zhang at the hotel's reception area when it was discovered she had no clearance to be there.
In Zhang's possession were four cell phones, one laptop, an external hard drive device and a USB thumb drive. "A preliminary forensic examination of the thumb drive determined it contained malicious malware," US Secret Service said in the criminal complaint against her.
How the malware got there wasn't explained. But the complaint goes on to accuse Zhang, a Chinese national, of attempting to trick her way into the Mar-a-Lago resort. She allegedly did this by first telling a US Secret Service agent she was visiting the hotel to access the pool.
"Zhang additionally did not give a definitive answer when asked if she was there to meet with anyone," the complaint says. "Due to a potential language barrier, Mar-a-Lago believed her to be the relative of (a resort club) member, and allowed her access to the property."
But after reaching the hotel's reception, Zhang allegedly changed her story. According to the complaint, she told a receptionist she was there to attend a United Nations Chinese American Association event. However, the receptionist knew the hotel was hosting no such event, and later verified Zhang was not on any Mar-a-Lago "access list."
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The receptionist then contacted a US Secret Service agent, who transported Zhang off-site for interviewing. During the interview, Zhang spoke with federal agents "freely and without difficulty" in the English language. No swimming gear was found in her possession either.
According to the complaint, Zhang claimed a Chinese friend named "Charles" told her to travel from Shanghai to Florida to attend an event, where she could speak with a Trump family member about relations between China and the US. However, Secret Service agents have been unable to confirm the identity of "Charles."
What kind of malware the USB drive was carrying wasn't mentioned in the complaint. But the whole incident is reminiscent of a Hollywood spy movie. Zhang has been charged with making false statements to US federal agents, and unlawfully entering a restricted building.