American Woman Embezzles $1.5M from Ballet Organization for Gambling

Sofia Kim, a 60-year-old woman from Washington, was convicted of embezzling over $1.5 million from the Universal Ballet Foundation. Kim, who was the treasurer at the Kirrov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., used the organization's funds for gambling in a Maryland casino.

She wrote checks totaling $377,200, withdrew $479,280 from the organization's accounts, and paid off her personal credit debts amounting to $681,570 using the organization's funds.

Kim had previously been convicted in 2021 for tax evasion and filing false tax returns, serving two years in prison. She was sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay a fine and restitution totaling $3 million.