Kim: I treated Quichochos with all my heart

Businesswoman Jung Ja Kim burst into tears as she testified Thursday last week how her trust in attorney Ramon K. Quichocho and his wife, Frances, was shattered, and recalled signing a letter amid her depression asking them for forgiveness and offering all her shares in a company to the couple.

King also disclosed that she found questionable expenses in her company, including tuition and gifts and donations to a senator, former congressman, and other people.

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

In the third day of the continuation of her testimony in the ongoing jury trial in federal court, Kim recalled that in February 2010 she was looking for Frances because she was not doing an accounting of her company. The businesswoman said she also heard that Frances was looking for documents of her (Kim) company, Tan Dingo LLC.

She said when she saw Frances she asked why she was looking for Tan Dingo documents. Frances allegedly replied that she was a Tan Dingo member. Kim said she became upset and answered back that she is the owner of that company.

To resolve the matter, Kim said she contacted Quichocho and they later had a meeting at a coffee shop.

Kim said she requested Quichocho, who was her then counsel, to do an accounting of her other company, Latte Stone LLC. She also asked if she is the owner of Tan Dingo LLC.

The businesswoman said that Quichocho stated he does now know because it is a matter between her and Frances.

After that, Kim said her trust in the Quichochos was shattered.

“I treated them with all my heart,” she said.

Kim said Quichocho wrote her a letter on March 9, 2009, terminating his services as her counsel and telling her she should pay him promptly.

Shown a letter dated March 4, 2009, by her lawyer Robert T. Torres, Kim identified it as a letter to the Quichochos prepared by her friend that she signed.

Kim said she was under medication for depression when she signed that letter.

Torres read the letter in which Kim expressed her apology to the Quichochos if she did then any wrong.

At this juncture, Kim started crying as Torres continued reading the letter. She said she felt like she was reliving the incident.

Torres also presented in court Quichocho’s letter to Kim dated March 12, 2009. In that letter, Quichocho told her to stop her “lies and misrepresentation” and stop “the lies against my beautiful wife.”

Kim disclosed that during her investigation and discovery in her lawsuit, she found out at least $56,000 in questionable expenses for Latte Stone LLC. Among these questionable expenses were payments to a school as tuition, Christian Bible Fellowship, Isla Financial Services, Hillblom Memorial Foundation, among others.

Kim said she considers them questionable because they were not legitimate operational expenses for Latte Stone Poker.

She also prepared a report of about $91,219.13 in questionable payments to Frances.

Kim said that some of the Quichochos’ immediate family apparently got paid totaling $21,315.16 using Latte Stone funds.

She also found expenses for personnel/law office in which employees’ salaries were paid, including the couple’s housemaid.

Kim found other payments under her company, gift/donations, given to a former congressman, a senator, a pastor, and others.

The trial will continue on Feb. 18 with Kim’s expert witness taking the stand. Kim will continue her testimony on Feb. 19.