Kim testifies that Quichochos hijacked her company

Businesswoman Jung Ja Kim testified in court yesterday how attorney Ramon K. Quichocho and his wife, Frances, allegedly hijacked the company that they earlier sold to her.

In the continuation of her testimony in the ongoing jury trial in federal court, Kim also disclosed how she put up another poker company under the name of Quichocho’s wife, Frances, at Quichocho’s advice.

Under questioning by her lawyer, Robert T. Torres, Kim stated that she agreed to buy Tan Dingo LLC and formed Latte Stone LLC because she trusted the Quichocho couple to protect her business interests.

Kim is suing the Quichocho couple, the Quichocho law firm, their company Karissa LLC, for alleged racketeering, legal malpractice, and other claims.

She recounted that in April 2008, Frances offered to sell her a company named Tan Dingo LLC that the Quichochos and Joaquin Atalig formed. Kim said the Quichochos informed her that they and Atalig would resign from Tan Dingo so she would own and control the company.

After paying them $650, Frances reportedly gave her several documents and told her she now owns Tan Dingo LLC. Kim said she later found out that the Quichochos and Atalig did not resign.

Had known that the Quichochos and Atalig would not resign, she said there would have been no reason for her to buy it.

“There is no reason for me to buy from someone else,” Kim said. “Never. I will never buy it.”

Kim said Quichocho, who was her then counsel, asked her to buy the company that he and his wife were members of. Kim said Quichocho did not tell her to get an independent attorney for the Tan Dingo deal.

She said it was her belief she was the sole owner of Tan Dingo.

Kim said Quichocho then advised her to transfer the poker machines from her other companies to Tan Dingo to protect her from her former husband. By October 2008, Kim said she had transferred a total of 26 poker machines from her other companies to Tan Dingo.

The businesswoman recalled that she learned that she was not the sole owner of Tan Dingo during a Tan Dingo meeting in March 2009, when Quichocho informed her she was not a member since she had not filed any financial certification of confirmation with Tan Dingo.

In the first place, she said she was surprised about the meeting since she owns Tan Dingo 100 percent.

Kim also disclosed that she formed in October 2008 Latte Stone LLC upon Quichocho’s advice, and had it registered under Frances name, apparently so her name will not appear as the owner to prevent her ex-husband from harassing her.

Kim said Quichocho never told her that he has a conflict of interest as her counsel to advise her to put up a company under the name of his wife, Frances.

She said she then transferred 10 poker machines from her two companies to Latte Stone for its operation on Rota.

Kim will continue her testimony this morning, Thursday. Attorney Colin Thompson is also her other counsel.

Attorney Michael Dotts is counsel for the Quichochos.