President Donald Trump holds up a custom jersey given to him by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (R), as Patriots coach Bill Belichick (L) watches, as Trump honors the team for its 2017 Super Bowl victory. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI |
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March 9 (UPI) -- A Chinese woman who founded a spa where New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was accused of paying for sex also ran a business offering access to President Donald Trump and his family, Mother Jones reported Saturday.
The Miami Herald reported Friday that Li Yang, who founded a chain of spas in South Florida, was a guest at Trump's Super Bowl Party at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Feb. 3 when the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta. A selfie of Yang with Trump at the party has since been removed from her Facebook page.
Since 2017, Yang, 45, who also goes by Cindy, has run an investment business, GY US Investments LLC, with her husband, Zubin Gong, that has offered to make high-level connections in the United States, including to Trump and his family, according to the Mother Jones report.
On a Web page with a photo of Trump's Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago, Yang's company said it has provided clients "the opportunity to interact with the president," including a "White House and Capitol Hill dinner," as well as Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and "other political figures."
The website described the company as an "international business consulting firm that provides public relations services to assist businesses in America to establish and expand their brand image in the modern Chinese marketplace."
In February 2018, Yang attended the White House's celebration of the lunar new year at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, according to her Facebook page.
Yang has appeared at several events at Mar-a-Lago.
Kraft, a part-time resident of Palm Beach, is a member of Mar-a-Lago and a supporter of Trump. He has ridden on Air Force One with the president and has been at the White House, including celebrating his team's 2017 victory.
Kraft, 77, is accused of twice paying women for sexual acts at Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla., including the morning before he flew to Kansas City to watch the Patriots win the AFC Championship game.
Kraft, who is among 25 men facing similar charges, has said he didn't engage in any illegal activity. A court hearing is scheduled for March 28 in West Palm Beach.
Yang has not been charged in the investigation, telling the Herald she sold the spa several years ago. But her family still owns several others in Florida, including some with the name Tokyo Day Spas. The Herald reported at least two local police agencies have investigated allegations of prostitution there.
WPBF-TV reported Yang's family sold the Jupiter spa to Hua Zhang around 2013. Zhang is charged with racketeering and running a house of prostitution and has pleaded not guilty.
Until the 2016 presidential election, Yang hadn't voted, according to registration records.
Besides the president, her Facebook page included photos of her with several prominent Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Yang and her close relatives have contributed more than $42,000 to a political action committee, and more than $16,000 to the president's campaign committee since 2017, the Herald reported.
On Feb. 22, the day charges against Kraft were announced, Trump told the media at the White House: "Well, it's very sad. I was very surprised to see it. He's proclaimed his innocence totally, and -- but I'm very surprised to see it."
Trump is spending the weekend at Mar-a-Lago and is scheduled to return to the White House on Sunday.
