Once inside, according to the account filed with the court, the woman said she was there to attend a United Nations Chinese American Association event later in the evening. But no such event existed, according to the complaint, so the club receptionist alerted the Secret Service. Though she had initially said she had come to use the pool, she was not carrying a swimsuit, the complaint said.

Ms. Zhang told the agent who questioned her on site that she was there for a “United Nations friendship event” and had arrived early to see the pool and take photos. She showed the agent an invitation to the supposed event — but it was in Chinese and no one present could read it.

At that point, the Secret Service agent escorted her off the property. The agent continued to question her, and when the agent suggested that she had unlawfully gained access to the club, she became “verbally aggressive” and was detained, the complaint states. From there, she was taken to the Secret Service’s office in West Palm Beach.

During the second interview, Ms. Zhang told the authorities that a Chinese friend named Charles had told her to travel from Shanghai to Palm Beach in order to attend the United Nations friendship event and said that she should try to speak with a member of the president’s family about Chinese and American foreign economic relations.

The agents were unable to learn more about Charles, as Ms. Zhang told them that she had only spoken to him via the Chinese instant messaging app WeChat.