Lawyer Sentenced in Bank Robberies
A Superior Court judge sentenced an attorney to 12 years in prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to committing four bank robberies here last year, officials said.
Steven Hyun Kim, 32, of Los Angeles, entered the plea to four counts of robbery, including three counts of armed robbery, as a trial date was scheduled to be set by Pasadena Superior Court Judge C. Edward Simpson.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Anna Phillips said Kim admitted to twice robbing Bank of America at Lake Avenue and Colorado Boulevard and a Wells Fargo bank about a block south on Lake to support a drug addiction.
The robberies occurred between Jan. 1 and July 9, 1999, and he was arrested the next month.
During a preliminary hearing, a bank teller identified Kim as the person who showed her a gun and demanded money.
When Kim was arrested, Pasadena police detectives said they discovered heroin in his possession and recovered two handguns they believed were used in the heists.
Several thousand dollars were taken in the robberies, according to investigators.
Kim is a graduate of USC Law School.
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