Former Bellevue Attorney Stole $1.8M In Settlements: Prosecutors

BELLEVUE, WA — King County prosecutors have filed more than a dozen felony charges against former Bellevue attorney Patrick Kim, who they accuse of stealing $1.8 million from his clients' settlements.

A criminal investigation by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler's office began almost four years ago after a referral from the Washington State Bar Association.

In September 2017, Kim resigned as a managing partner at Bellevue's United Law Firm, which specializes in personal injury, criminal law, immigration, and traffic cases, investigators said. The insurance commissioner's criminal investigations unit found evidence that Kim took nearly $2 million from settlements connected to at least 15 insurance companies, according to detectives.

"This is a case of an attorney abusing the trust of his clients, many of whom had a language barrier," Kreidler said. "It appears that Mr. Kim used that to his advantage in siphoning off settlement money that should have gone to his clients and, in some cases, the insurance companies."

Kreidler said Kim is barred from practicing law in Washington but remains employed at his wife's practice, SLK Law Firm. He faces three counts of first-degree theft and 10 counts of second-degree theft in King County Superior Court.

The insurance commissioner's office estimates fraud costs the average Washington family between $400 and $700 each year in increased premiums.