A federal grand jury has accused two Southern California brothers of tax evasion and earning more than $1.1 million.
Se Youn Youn “Steve” Kim, 41, and his same twin brother, hee Youn “Ted” Kim, 41, was arrested by federal authorities Thursday morning and did not plead guilty.
From 2021 to 2023, the Golden Brothers’ T-shirt-era business snapped up thousands of reservations on U.S. golf courses, including at least 17 public golf courses in Southern California, according to an indictment filed in the U.S. District Court.
The brothers used an online platform including the Korean instant messaging app Kakaotalk to attract customers. Federal prosecutors said the brothers “created a monopoly of Southern California golf courses” when they quickly subscribed to the popular early morning tee immediately after opening to the public.
The popularity of serving time brokers is Reported last yeardozens of local golfers were frustrated that they couldn’t get tee time on Los Angeles public courses
“In the end, it’s justice,” Tee Time Brokers’ voice critic Joseph Lee helped collect evidence and meet with federal prosecutors during the investigation of the Kings. “For a long time, La Golfers have been frustrated by these illegal kickoff-era brokers and their resale markets. Authorities have finally realized the seriousness of the problem.”
Anthony Solis, an attorney representing Ted Kim, said he did not immediately respond on behalf of his client. The attorney representing Steve Kim did not respond to information seeking comments.
Federal prosecutors said the brothers allowed clients to pay reservation fees to their personal accounts through Venmo, Zelle and other applications. The indictment alleges that the Tee Time Brokering business won nearly $700,000 for the brothers between 2021 and 2023. The brothers, also serving as MRI technicians, are accused of intentionally failing to report $1.1 million in revenue to the IRS in 2022 and 2023.
Brothers Jin is also accused of failing to pay taxes assessed by the IRS. Instead of paying off the tax debt, the indictment noted that the brothers made luxury purchases in Chanel, Cartier, Prada and Louis Vuitton.
Ted Kim said in a brief interview with Times last year that he used up to five devices and relied on unspecified friends to secure tee time. He said he is in the same competitive environment as other golfers in Los Angeles and does not use robots to play.
“It’s not like I’m using technology. “I’m not doing anything illegal. ”
King told the newspaper that he made several thousand dollars a month and built his business as a way to help senior Korean golfers without the need for tech-savvy golfers to browse the online golf booking system.
“I’m just helping the elderly in South Korea because they have the right to play golf because all Koreans play golf, right? They’re actually struggling without my help.”
This is a shocking news story that will be updated.
