BELLEVUE, WA — State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler on Thursday added Patrick Kim, of Bellevue, to his office’s “most wanted” list after officials said he failed to appear in court to face more than a dozen felony charges.

In a news release, Kreidler said Kim skipped a hearing in King County Superior Court, where he is accused of three felony charges alleging first-degree theft and 10 alleging second-degree theft. A nationwide warrant was issued for his arrest.

As Patch reported last year, a criminal investigation by the insurance commissioner’s office began in 2017 after Kim resigned as a managing partner at Bellevue’s United Law Firm. That is where investigators allege Kim siphoned nearly $2 million from settlements awarded to his clients. Kriedler said many of Kim’s clients were members of the Korean community who did not speak English primarily.

“Mr. Kim helped negotiate personal injury settlements for his clients with insurance companies, and because the documents were in English, his clients trusted him to explain the settlement documents to them,” Kriedler’s office wrote Thursday.

Kim was disciplined by the Washington State Bar Association and surrendered his license to practice law, then the Bar referred the case to the insurance commissioner’s criminal investigations unit. Anyone with information on Kim’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact local law enforcement or Kriedler’s office directly.