College freshman slipped into Mar-a-Lago while Trump was in town
Four months before a Chinese woman was accused of lying to get into Mar-a-Lago, an 18-year-old college freshman in November fooled Secret Service agents into thinking he was a club member and wandered the grounds for 20 minutes before he was arrested. An apologetic Mark Lindblom on Tuesday told a federal magistrate that he had no evil intentions when he decided to try and enter the club on the day after Thanksgiving while President Donald Trump and his family were visiting. The Washington, D.C. teenager said he just wanted to see if he could do it.
And, according to accounts from his attorney and a federal prosecutor, it was pretty easy.
Visiting his grandparents, who are members of the nearby Palm Beach Bath & Tennis Club, Lindblom simply walked down the beach the two clubs share.
Once at a tunnel under State Road A1A that gives Mar-a-Lago members exclusive access to the beach, Lindblom stood in line with club members who were waiting to pass through a metal detector manned by Secret Service agents, said his attorney Marcos Beaton.
“Mr. Lindblom was wanded by Secret Service agents and he walked on through,” Beaton said.
The ease with which Lindblom gained access to the club again raises questions about the Secret Service agency’s ability to protect Trump while he is visiting the members-only club he has dubbed the Winter White House.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds. While U.S. Magistrate William Matthewman could have sent Lindblom to jail for six months, he opted instead to place him on probation for a year.
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20190528/college-freshman-fooled-secret-service-slipped-into-mar-a-lago-while-trump-was-in-town?rssfeed=true
= new reply since forum marked as read
