Springfield Repair Shop Owner Pleads Guilty to Marriage Fraud

The owner of Springfield auto repair shop pleaded guilty Thursday to arranging a marriage so his girlfriend could stay in the country.

Yong Hyon Kim, a 50-year-old Korean citizen and Centreville resident, faces up to 10 years in prison. Kim was indicted in November on counts of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, false statements, alien harboring, inducing an alien to come to the United States, and immigration document fraud.

Kim arranged a marriage between his girlfriend and the general manager at his car repair shop, 395 Collision Center, located at 6708 Industrial Road. Kim was seeking to use the marriage to keep the woman, an illegal alien, in the country.

While Kim said his girlfriend worked at 395 Collision Center, she was actually a madame at a Falls Church business called Tomato. Men would come to Tomato to flirt and dance with female employees, many of whom were also illegal aliens from South Korea. In April, two madames from Tomato were sentenced to terms in federal prison.

Kim also helped his girlfriend receive immigration benefits and deceive federal authorities about the marriage. When federal investigators asked Kim whether he was dating his girlfriend, he denied any relationship.

As a result of the agreement, Kim has surrended $29,000 and a Mercedes to the government. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 13.