Banned Woman, 65, Returns to Mar-a-Lago With Cart, Gets Arrested Again

A 65-year-old woman already banned from Mar-a-Lago showed up at the property again, pushing a heavy utility cart loaded with her belongings, and ended up back in handcuffs. Li Hua Stevens was arrested by Palm Beach police in connection with an incident at 50 Southern Blvd. on June 26, months after she was banned from the estate following a similar episode in May.

According to WPEC, Secret Service agents spotted Stevens pushing the cart near the north exit gate of the estate, which sits at 1100 South Ocean Boulevard along the Palm Beach barrier island bordered to the north by Southern Boulevard, per the National Park Service. Federal officers detained her on the grounds before Palm Beach police officers took over and made the arrest. She was then transported to the Palm Beach Police Department for processing.

Police say Stevens entered a public vegetative area on the property despite ignoring prominent restricted-area trespassing signage. The station's report notes she left litter and soiled toilet paper behind and defecated in the landscaping. Town officials estimated cleanup and restoration costs at $500.

A Repeat Visit Despite an Earlier Ban

Stevens was banned from Mar-a-Lago after a similar incident in May, making this her second documented run-in with the property inside a few months. When confronted, she acknowledged her actions after being shown surveillance video, police reported. She was ultimately charged with misdemeanor trespassing.

The charge reflects a specific legal threshold under Florida law. Trespassing on property other than a structure typically starts as a second-degree misdemeanor, but it escalates to a first-degree misdemeanor — punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine — when a person defies posted notice, dumps litter, or causes property damage, according to Ilabaca Law. The allegations against Stevens, including ignored signage and damaged landscaping, line up with that higher-tier standard.

Why Federal Agents Get Involved

Mar-a-Lago functions as both a private club and a continuously guarded residence tied to a protected political figure, which is why Secret Service personnel are present for breaches even when local police make the arrest. Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 1752 makes it a crime to knowingly enter or remain in grounds cordoned off for Secret Service protectees, carrying up to a year in federal prison for non-violent violations, per a prosecution memorandum hosted on Scribd. In this case, though, Stevens was booked on the state misdemeanor trespassing charge rather than a federal one.

Part of a Long Pattern at the Estate

Stevens's arrest fits into a broader, years-long pattern of intrusions at the property. In June 2025, a 23-year-old Texas man was arrested on misdemeanor trespassing charges after scaling the Mar-a-Lago perimeter wall in an attempt to contact members of Donald Trump's family, according to Inside Edition. In November 2024, a 39-year-old Chinese national was jailed on misdemeanor trespassing charges after repeatedly attempting to enter the estate's gate in violation of a court order, as reported by LiveNOW from FOX.

Some past breaches have carried far higher stakes. In February 2026, Secret Service agents and Palm Beach County deputies shot and killed an armed intruder who breached the outer security perimeter carrying a shotgun and a fuel canister, with Trump not present at the property during that incident. And in March 2019, Chinese national Yujing Zhang gained access to Mar-a-Lago after staff mistook her for a member's relative, a breach that led to her federal conviction for entering a restricted federal area and making false statements; she served eight months in federal custody before being deported.

The Town of Palm Beach's strict private-property zoning, minimal public sidewalks, and high perimeter hedges are meant to limit public access across its barrier island enclaves, reflecting the local emphasis on tight property enforcement. Secret Service records released under the Freedom of Information Act document dozens of unauthorized intrusion attempts and security perimeter failures at Mar-a-Lago since 2018, ranging from curious tourists to foreign nationals and gate breaches. Against that backdrop, Stevens's repeated visits despite a standing ban add another entry to a security file that local and federal authorities continue to manage jointly.