Trump photographed with founder of spa where police say Robert Kraft solicited prostitution

Weeks before police charged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft with soliciting prostitution at a spa in Florida, a photo posted to Facebook showed President Donald Trump smiling next to the spa's founder and former owner, according to a report Friday from the Miami Herald.

The photograph, snapped Feb. 3 during Trump's annual Super Bowl watch party in West Palm Beach, was posted to Facebook by businesswoman Li "Cindy" Yang, according to the Herald. Yang, who founded a chain of spas in South Florida including the one Kraft allegedly visited twice in January for illicit services, wrote in the caption of the photo, "We love our president," the Herald reported.

Yang, 45, told the Herald she sold the Jupiter location of her Tokyo Day Spa chain in 2013 to a businesswoman named Hua Zhang, who gave the spa the name Orchids of Asia.

Yang was not charged in last month's human trafficking sting in South Florida. She no longer owns any of the Tokyo Day Spa locations, according to the Herald.

Zhang was charged last month with racketeering and running a house of prostitution as part of the sting, which also led to charges against Kraft and nearly 200 other men. Zhang has pleaded not guilty.

Yang's husband still manages at least one location of Tokyo Day Spas, according to the Herald. Yang's family did not own any of the spas closed by last month's raid.

The Herald reported that in the last three years, Yang has sought to reinvent herself in the political sphere. She's snagged tickets to several events featuring high-profile GOP politicians and personalities and posed for photos with Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale; Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.; Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.; and former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. She told the Herald "that she was out of the business, would soon be moving to Washington, D.C., and didn't want any negative press."

A spokesperson for Gaetz said in a statement that a photo that surfaced Friday of Yang and the congressman was taken at a well-attended campaign rally for Ron DeSantis in the summer of 2018, while DeSantis was running for governor.

“Congressman Geatz took hundreds of selfies at this event and takes thousands through the year without vetting people,” the statement said. “He has never set foot in any of Ms. Yang’s day spas or properties.”

The Herald noted that none of the people contacted by the newspaper recognized Yang.

Since 2017, Yang and her relatives have given more than $42,000 to the political action committee Trump Victory and more than $16,000 to Trump's campaign, according to the Herald.

Cox Media Group