A South Korean court has convicted a lawyer American. She stole according to the Incheon court $1,100 in cash to another (sleeping) passenger on a flight to South Korea. She was struck off, in particular for her conduct after the flight.
Following her judgment on appeal, the lawyer notably lost the right to practice her profession in the district of Colombia. Jinhee Wilde is currently CEO of WA Law Group in Maryland, but as of May 2007 was a partner at another law firm where she practiced immigration law. It was during this time that she was accused of theft by another passenger, Ms. Yoon, on a flight to Seoul, the South Korean capital, indicates the site paddleyourownkanoo.comwhich provides the court’s .pdf report.
A flight attendant on board notably testified that he saw Wilde search the purse of another female passenger. She had boarded the plane with at least $1,500 in cash, but when she checked her purse, there were only four $100 bills left. The purser confronted Wilde and examined the money in her purse, discovering that the serial numbers of some of the tickets were consecutive to the notes that remained in the victim’s purse (beginning with “FL171737″) .
Upon her arrival in South Korea, Wilde was arrested and interrogated by the police. After providing a statement, Wilde was released and later charged with theft. While she initially did not show up to her trial, the court first issued a default decision against her. After learning of her default conviction, Wilde requested a formal trial and was again found guilty of theft. She appealed the decision and submitted bank documents who, according to the grievances of the Maryland prosecutors, were falsified.
During a panel hearing, more than 20 witnesses were called to testify over seven days and more than 100 exhibits were submitted. The committee concluded that Wilde not only committed the theft, but also forged bank clerk letters and several checks. Wilde appealed the committee’s and disciplinary board’s findings on a number of issues, but after a years-long process, the Court of Appeal ruled that Wilde’s disbarment stood. “In this case, we conclude that the delisting is justified based on Ms. Wilde’s theft and the repeated and pervasive dishonesty”we read in the judgment.
