NOT-SO-SECURE

College Freshman Mark Lindblom Duped Secret Service to Wander Around Mar-a-Lago While Trump Was There

The 18-year-old has been sentenced to one year of probation after wandering around a restricted part of the resort for about twenty minutes.

An 18-year-old college student was hit with one year of probation on Tuesday for sneaking past Secret Service and onto the Mar-a-Lago resort while President Trump was there last year, The Palm Beach Post reports.

“I wanted to see how far I could get,” University of Wisconsin freshman Mark Lindblom told U.S. Magistrate William Matthewman in court, adding that he was sorry for wasting the time of Secret Service agents.

The Post reports that Lindblom successfully entered the club in Nov. 2018 by walking down the beach that Mar-a-Lago and Palm Beach Bath & Tennis Club share. Lindblom’s grandparents are reportedly members of the latter club.

Court documents state the teenager then went through the Ocean Boulevard tunnel where Mar-a-Lago members go for beach access and stood in line with club members. The access point had a sign that read, “United States Secret Service Restricted Area.” Lindblom’s attorney, Marcos Beaton, said his client was “wanded by Secret Service agents” with a metal detector and “he walked on through.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney John McMillan told the court that Lindblom was arrested while he wandered the grass near the club pool, and CBS12 reported that he was released on a $5,000 bond. McMillan said agents only found pictures that he took on his cellphone, and the government found no “political, criminal or terroristic purpose” for his actions.

“It was a foolish decision he did on a lark,” McMillan said.

Lindblom pleaded guilty to “entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds” and could have been sentenced to six months in jail.

A spokesperson for the University of Wisconsin confirmed to The Daily Beast that Lindblom was a student at the university and they were evaluating whether or not to take any disciplinary steps against him. Lindblom and Beaton have not yet responded to requests for comment.

News of the teen’s entry onto Mar-a-Lago comes after 33-year-old Yujing Zhang was arrested earlier this year for breaching the resort when Trump was not on the premises. Zhang was reportedly found with malware-infected USB drives, numerous electronics, and cash on her person and in her hotel room. She was able to get past two Secret Service checkpoints by posing as an attendee to a Chinese friendship event, which Mar-a-Lago staff determined did not exist.

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Julia ArcigaReporter

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