Plea Bargain Offered to Attorney in 4 Bank Robberies

An attorney charged with four armed bank robberies has been offered an agreement that would require him to plead guilty to the heists and accept 12 years in prison.

Steven Hyun Kim, 32, of Los Angeles, is charged with twice robbing the Bank of America at Lake Avenue and Colorado Boulevard and a Wells Fargo bank about a block south on Lake. All four robberies took place last year.

“They made an offer, and he is thinking about it,” said Leslie Abramson, Kim’s attorney.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Anna Phillips said the case has been continued until Tuesday in Pasadena Superior Court.

“We’re waiting to find out whether Mr. Kim is going to plead guilty. He says he needs more time to think about it,” Phillips said.

She said that if Kim accepts the plea, he will admit to all four robberies and acknowledge using a firearm in three of them.

During a preliminary hearing, a bank teller identified Kim as the person who showed her a gun and demanded money.

When Kim was arrested in August 1999, investigators said they discovered heroin in his possession and recovered two handguns they believed were used in the heists.

According to the State Bar of California, Kim, a graduate of the USC Law School, is a practicing attorney with offices on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.