The co-founder of frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry was sentenced Friday to a maximum of seven years in prison for beating a homeless man with a tire iron.
A jury had found Young Lee, 49, guilty in the Donald Bolding assault back in November. At the time, Lee was jailed without bail after the judge deemed him a “significant threat to the community” because he had threatened a witness in the case. Today, the sentence came down.
In June 2011, Bolding flashed a lewd tattoo to Lee’s fiancee. The former Pinkberry exec, who is no longer part of the company, returned to the East Hollywood scene with another man later that day. Lee then beat Bolding, who suffered a broken left forearm, cuts on his head and a concussion, with the weapon.
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The sentencing judge called the incident “extremely violent and merciless.” Lee’s lawyer said the stiff sentence was “wholly disporportinate” with the crime. Lee and his attorney intend to appeal.
Lee helped found the first West Hollywood Pinkberry in 2005. Though the frozen yogurt chain has expanded nationally, the majority of locations are in Southern California.
Watch a clip from the sentencing: