ILLEGAL HIRING PRACTICES

2 ex-IHOP managers sentenced to probation

8/28/2014

Two former International House of Pancakes employees charged in a scheme involving illegal hiring practices and other crimes each were placed on probation for two years Tuesday by U.S. District Judge David Katz.

Ramiz Awwad, 35, of Ypsilanti, Mich., who had been a manager at the IHOP at Central Avenue and Airport Highway, pleaded guilty last year to alien harboring, aggravated identity theft, identity theft, false statements, and health-care fraud.

Khaled Yousef, 36, of Toledo, who worked as a manager at the Talmadge Road and Central Avenue locations, pleaded guilty last year to alien harboring, two counts of aggravated identity theft, identity theft, false statements, and health-care fraud.

As a part of their probation, Awwad was placed on location monitoring for eight months and Yousef for six months. Both men had been employed by local IHOP franchissee Tarek Elkafrawi, who is awaiting sentencing on 53 counts related to illegal activity at his seven restaurants.