A Korean-American woman has been indicted on a charge of defrauding a South Korean national of over $100,000 by promising to help her settle in the United States.
Sung Kim, a 60-year-old resident of Montgomery Township, has been charged with two felony counts of theft by deception and a third felony count of deceptive business practices in connection with an investigation in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas (Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy).
The indictment alleges that Kim operated a fraudulent scheme in Montgomery Township using the alias “Monica Kim.”
According to the indictment, Kim sold her nail salon for $120,000 to a South Korean national who arrived in the United States on an investor visa in 2019.
Furthermore, Kim allegedly asked the victim to pay $150,000 for processing the investor visa, $12,000 for the victim’s children to attend a private school in Montgomery Township, and $10,000 for purchasing a used car.
The indictment reveals that the nail salon was later sold in April 2021 for $15,000, even though the victim had already paid over $126,000 and never gained ownership. From the account to which the victim wired the money, $23,000 was withdrawn between April 2019 and June 2019 at various casinos, excluding other cash withdrawals and checks written against the account.
Upon arriving in the United States, the victim stayed with Kim for a month, during which time she was never provided with the vehicle or the promised business. The case came to light when the victim realized she had been scammed and filed a complaint with the police.
Kim’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 28 at 10:30 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy. Kim has already hired a lawyer to represent her at the hearing.
BY YEOL JANG [support@koreadaily.com]
