2 IHOP employees get probation in job scheme

4/24/2013

Two employees of area International House of Pancakes restaurants were placed on probation for two years Tuesday for their roles in a scheme involving illegal hiring practices.

Sara Rinebolt, 48, of Findlay and Lucky Williams, 31, of Fostoria each were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge David Katz. They are the first of 18 defendants indicted last year in federal court to be convicted.

Rinebolt, former manager of the IHOP restaurant in Lima, Ohio, pleaded guilty in December to one count each of identity theft and making false statements for using the Social Security number and date of birth of one individual to help another individual, who was in the country illegally, to obtain a job. She then lied to federal investigators about it.

Williams, who worked as an assistant manager at several IHOP locations including the Maumee restaurant, pleaded guilty in December to one count each of alien harboring and identity theft.