Ellicott City Woman Sentenced in Wire Fraud Case

An to pay private school tuition for her children and other personal expenses was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release, according to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office.

U. S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander also sentenced Sandy P. Kim, 43, to three years of supervised release following and was ordered to forfeit the money that she stole from mortgage escrow accounts.

According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Kim was the owner and chief operating officer of EK Settlements in Ellicott City, and a title agent at an insurance company from 2005 to 2008. As part of her job, she was required to maintain an escrow account for real estate settlement funds from buyers and to pay off mortgage lenders.  

In 2006, according to the plea, Kim started stealing money from that escrow account to pay for personal bills, including tuition for her kids’ private school, tax bills and to pay for previous loans that she had not yet settled. 

According to the plea, in 2007, Kim had $175,000 from a closing wired to an account that she controlled, instead of paying off the client’s prior mortgage.  

Kim used the money for herself and made smaller monthly payments toward the client’s prior mortgage to conceal the theft. Her employer had suspected impropriety and was going to audit Kim’s accounts, so Kim altered bank records, according to the plea. 

According to the statement, Kim admitted what she had done to law enforcement. 

In all, Kim stole $684,283 from the escrow accounts, according to the plea. She had faced 20 years in prison. 

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