A Pasadena man was charged with felony burglary after his neighbor discovered tens of thousands of dollars she kept in her closet had been stolen, according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

Myeongsoo Lee, 53, faces a felony theft charge as well, having been accused of taking $200,000 from the woman’s apartment after she and her son went on a walk.

Before they went out, however, police said Lee and his neighbor ate dinner together. The nature of the relationship is unclear in court records. According to charging documents filed Tuesday, the woman told authorities Lee confessed to her that he used to “peep through her window” and had “observed her undress.”

Police believe Lee learned about the woman’s hidden cash after peering through her window another time.

On Aug. 21, officers responded to a breaking and entering call inside a Pasadena apartment building. Online real estate listings show a structure on the property that looks more like a home than a traditional apartment complex. Public records indicate there are at least three apartments in the building.

When they arrived, police spoke to the alleged victim, who said she came home from her walk to find her bedroom window broken by a rock. Her luggage case, where she said she kept her life savings, was open and empty on the floor. She told police she had hidden $200,000 in the case, inside boxes wrapped with rubber bands.

Officers reviewed surveillance footage, according to charging documents, and saw Lee come out of his apartment “minutes” after the woman and her son started their walk. Police said he walked back and forth in front of his apartment several times before going to the back of the woman’s residence.

Fifteen minutes later, he was back in his home. The woman and her son came back to the building around 35 minutes later, according to charging documents.

Police interviewed Lee, who said he was in his apartment drinking at the time. Just over a month later, when police conducted a follow-up interview, Lee said he had dinner with family the night of the break-in. It wasn’t until he was shown video surveillance that he identified himself but continued to deny any involvement. He told officers that he was moving around because he was “putting away equipment,” according to charging documents.

Lee’s “account of events on the evening of August 21, 2024 changed several times,” a detective wrote.

When police asked if he kept any money inside his apartment, Lee said no. However, after obtaining a search warrant, officers found $164,140 at his place. Then, according to charging documents, Lee admitted to stealing the money.

Officers said they used a Korean interpreter to communicate with him.

It was unclear in court records why police waited over a month to conduct their follow-up interview with Lee.

Lee is currently being held in the Jennifer Road Detention Center, according to Anne Arundel County. As of Monday, no attorney was not listed as representing him in court records.

The Capital Gazette was unable to find a phone number for Lee’s family in public records and efforts to contact five people listed as either living or having lived at the Pasadena apartment building were unsuccessful.