IMMIGRATION FRAUD IN SALT LAKE CITY OLYMPIC SCANDAL

The bribery scandal surrounding the Salt Lake City Olympics to be held in 2000 has generated a second federal indictment. The first was based on charges of bribery. This second indictment is for immigration fraud.

The son of Un-Yong Kim, a board member on the International Olympic Committee, John Kim was recently indicted in Utah on charges of lying to the FBI about the work he did for a Utah communications company. At the same time the indictment in Utah was announced, a New York judge unsealed a 16-count indictment accusing Kim of using a fraudulently obtained green card to enter the United States 16 times from 1995 to 1999. According to the New York indictment, Kim was employed in Utah at the behest of the Salt Lake Olympic Bid Committee to help him obtain a green card and thereby to influence his father to vote for Salt Lake City's Olympic bid.

Part of the alleged evidence against Kim is a letter by the head of the Salt Lake bid committee saying Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah who is seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency, "is prepared to provide special legislation if necessary to overcome any problems that John may have on his green card." Justice department officials also say members of the Senator’s staff made calls to Kim offering help to immigrate to the U.S.

Kim says that before the indictments were unsealed he returned to South Korea and forfeited his green card at the U.S. embassy. He was in South Korea at the time of the release of the indictments.

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