The co-founder of frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry was sentenced to seven years in state prison for beating a panhandler with a tire iron in 2011, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Last November, a jury found Young Lee, 49, guilty of beating Donald Bolding in June of 2011, after Bolding flashed a tattoo on his body of a stick-figure couple having sex as Lee was in his car with passengers, including his fiancee, who is now his wife. Lee initially drove away from the scene, but returned shortly after and beat Bolding, who suffered a broken forearm and other injuries, according to prosecutors.
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After his conviction he was held without bail because the judge said he presented a “significant threat to the community” for threatening a witness in the case.
During the trial, the prosecutor reminded the jury of the threat to the witness, David Lee.“Do you remember the moment when David Lee stood on the witness stand and told us he’d been threatened?” Deputy Dist. Atty. Bobby Zoumberakis asked the jury Wednesday during closing arguments.
“‘I’m going to cut the throat of your mother, your wife, your daughter and you.’ And remember how the air left the room because you could tell how scared David Lee was?”
The judge gave Lee the maximum prison sentence, despite pleas from Lee’s wife asking the judge not to break up their family.
The 49-year-old Lee co-founded Pinkberry in 2005, but has since cut ties with the company.
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