Men Stole $390K From Port Washington Company: DA

Photo: (l-r) Seul Han and Hyun Joon Kim

Two Queens men were arrested for falsifying transactions and pocketing more than more than $390,000 from a Port Washington-based cosmetics company, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced Friday.

According to the DA, the company’s logistics manager Seul Han, 31, stole $390,195 from his employer by having the company pay for products by check that were neither ordered nor received from July 28, 2014 to March 18, 2016.

Han, who was responsible for importing items such as nail, eyelash and hair care products, would cover up the theft by falsifying hundreds of documents, including invoices, bills, commercial invoices and packing lists, the DA said.

He would then make the checks for these nonexistent products payable to Keum Sang USA, the principal of which was Hyun Joon Kim, 44, who was in on the scheme and would generate many of the false documents, the DA said.

Kim would allegedly deposit the checks given to him by Han into a bank account and then split the proceeds: 60 percent for Kim and 40 percent for Han.

Han and Kim would use the stolen funds for personal use, including credit card purchases, vacations, airline travel, an automobile lease, computer equipment and various household expenses, the DA said.

The scheme was discovered when Han returned to work from leave and subsequently resigned after his employer asked about the doctor’s note allowing him to return, which was believed to be forged, the DA said.

After Han left, the company said they reviewed Han’s work and found invoices for fictitious product purchases he had been responsible for. They subsequently conducted an audit to identify each of these “purchases.”

Both Han and Kim were arraigned Thursday and were charged with second-degree grand larceny and nine counts of first-degree falsifying business records.

Bail was set at $30,000 bond or $20,000 cash for Han who is due back in court on January 11. Bail was set at 20,000 bond or $12,500 cash for Kim who is due back in court on Jan. 12.

They both face five to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count.

Images via NCDA