BORDERLAND

Trials postponed for 3 defendants in IHOP case

9/10/2013

Just as he did for area International House of Pancakes franchisee Tarek Elkafrawi, a federal court judge has postponed the trials of three of his co-defendants until May 19.

U.S. District Court Judge David Katz continued the trials Monday of “all remaining defendants who have not entered a plea of guilty” and set a deadline of Jan. 31 for them to change their pleas.

To date, 14 of the 18 individuals charged in the illegal employment and money laundering scheme have entered guilty pleas. Still set for trial are Mr. Elkafrawi, 55, of Middleton Township near Perrysburg; his wife, Kelly Elkafrawi, 50, of Middleton Township; Autumn Lee Tangas, 55, of Sylvania, who worked as a franchise business consultant for IHOP, and Tarek Eid Omar, 37, of Newburgh, Ind.