A 56-year-old Korean national has pleaded guilty to federal charges in Northern California after illegally reentering the United States and carrying out a financial fraud scheme that cost banks nearly $1.19 million.
According to federal prosecutors, Kim Sang-soo pleaded guilty in federal court on June 30 to four felony counts: illegal reentry, fraudulent use of a passport, possession and use of a counterfeit access device, and bank fraud.
Prosecutors said Kim had been deported in 2020 after a fraud conviction, but later sneaked back into the United States. They said he used a forged passport to open 72 accounts at multiple banks, then ran a check-kiting scheme from November 2023 through July 2025 by depositing fake checks and withdrawing funds before the banks could detect the fraud.
Check-kiting exploits the delay between when a check is deposited and when it clears, creating the appearance of money that does not actually exist. On the bank fraud count alone, Kim faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, while the illegal reentry and passport fraud charges each carry up to 10 additional years.
