Teen sentenced for sneaking into Mar-a-Lago while Trump was there
A young man has been sentenced to a year of probation for sneaking through a tunnel onto President Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in Florida while Mr. Trump was there in November 2018.
Mark Lindblom pleaded guilty to entering a restricted building or grounds after he "knowingly and willfully entered MAL, through the Ocean Boulevard tunnel, and remained at MAL until discovered by agents of the [U.S. Secret Service]," according to court documents filed in U.S. District Court in South Florida.
Lindblom, who court papers said was 18 at the time, was staying with family at a neighboring beachfront property the day after Thanksgiving when he committed the offense. According to the Palm Beach Post, Lindblom was on the property for about 20 minutes before he was confronted and arrested.
In a statement Tuesday night, a Secret Service spokesperson said Lindblom "did not come into contact with the President or First Lady because of the layered security system in place at the club."
"Upon unlawfully entering the property, the individual walked to a common area of the club open to members and his actions appeared inconsistent with that of a member or a guest," the spokesperson said. "At that time, Secret Service personnel approached him and he was detained without further incident."
Lindblom, the Palm Beach Post said, told a federal judge Tuesday he had no ill intentions when he tried to enter the grounds and just wanted to see if he could do it. A lawyer for Lindblom, Marcos Beaton Jr., called the incident a "youthful indiscretion."
"On behalf of Mr. Lindblom and his family, we are grateful for the Court's ruling today and the government's recommendation," the lawyer said in a statement. "This was a youthful indiscretion that, because of the circumstances, amplified the nature of the consequences to Mr. Lindblom and, as we said in court today, amplified the risks, disruption and potential for catastrophe his decision caused."
Beaton added: "We consider this matter closed and have nothing but the highest respect for the job that the United States Secret Service does. Mr. Lindblom simply looks forward to moving on with his life."
News of Lindblom's case comes after a Chinese woman was charged for allegedly lying her way onto the president's property, a case that raised questions about security measures at what the president calls the "winter White House."
Stefan Becket and Arden Farhi contributed to this report.
