Federal prosecutors are ramping up their investigation of South Florida massage-parlor “entrepreneur” Li “Cindy” Yang, who is suspected of violating campaign finance laws by funneling money from China to President Trump’s re-election campaign, reports the Miami Herald.
Prosecutors sent subpoenas this week to Trump’s Palm Beach resort, Mar-a-Lago, and to the political fundraising committee Trump Victory, seeking records relating to Yang, her companies and several associates from 2017 to now, the Herald says.
Along with her history in the massage-parlor business, Yang runs a company that offers Chinese businesspeople access to events at Mar-a-Lago and elsewhere, and a chance to meet the president. The company has advertised at least eight such events over the past year, including two at Mar-a-Lago.
“Some of those events were campaign fundraisers that required guests to buy tickets for entry, payments that are considered political contributions,” the Herald says. “Foreign nationals are prohibited from donating to U.S. political campaigns.”
Neither Yang’s office nor the Trump Organization responded to requests for comment.
“One subpoena, issued by a federal grand jury in West Palm Beach, compels Mar-a-Lago to turn over all documents, records and communications relating to Yang, as well as 11 other people, one charity and seven companies affiliated with her,” says the Herald, citing “a person familiar with the investigation who asked for anonymity.”
Those named in the West Palm Beach subpoena include members of Yang’s family, former massage-parlor workers and donors to Trump Victory. A second subpoena aimed at Trump Victory was served to a Washington DC law firm, seeking “campaign-finance records relating to Yang and her associates.”
A Trump Victory official told the Herald that the committee “makes every effort possible to ensure that all contributions are made in accordance with the law,” adding that “our committee would comply with any request from law enforcement to ensure all contributions are made legally.”
According to the Herald, Yang and her family have donated upwards of $70,000 to Trump since the 2016 election. Yang is currently suing the newspaper for defamation.
Among the companies affiliated with Yang is a nonprofit group, the Women’s Charity Foundation. One of its founding members also leads the Florida chapter of a group known to be an arm China’s Communist Party, the Herald says.
