Fairfax man charged with embezzlement in visa fraud scheme

Published November 16, 2011 5:00am ET



A Fairfax man is accused of swindling a woman out of $200,000 by telling her she could receive a visa if she invested in his business.

Fairfax County police said 50-year-old Hong Ku Kim defrauded a 37-year-old woman by having her invest $200,000 in his company, Greentopia-Timonium.

Kim, of Great Falls, told the woman that the money would be placed in an escrow account so she could get an E2 visa, police said. That visa allows someone who has invested a significant amount in a U.S. business to be admitted to the country.

Police say the woman wired the money into the account and Kim reportedly issued a check to the law firm managing the funds. But he then stopped payment on that check, and the victim couldn’t obtain the visa or recover her money, police said.

Kim is charged with embezzlement and obtaining money by false pretense.