Former I&K CEO pleads guilty to charges

Van Wert independent

A former Delphos business owner faces eight years in prison after pleading guilty to seven charges related to the harassment and intimidation of a former employee of the company he headed.

Robert J. Fishbein, 48, of Lima, former CEO of I&K Foods in Delphos, entered guilty pleas to a charge of intimidation, a third-degree felony, as well as six counts — two first-degree misdemeanors and four fifth-degree felonies — of telecommunication harassment.

The intimidation charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, while the other six charges could add up to 36 additional months to his sentence.

The intimidation charge is a result of an incident that occurred September 28, 2011, when Fishbein made threatening remarks to a victim about testifying against him in court.

The telecommunication harassment counts stem from hundreds of phone calls Fishbein made between October 20 and October 25, 2011, to a woman who had formerly worked for I&K Foods.

Judge Charles D. Steele said he would set a sentencing date in the case today and also ordered a presentence investigation conducted prior to sentencing.

Fishbein remains incarcerated following revocation of a $200,000 cash bond set in the case after he used his cell phone in the lobby outside the Common Pleas Courtroom in contravention of bond requirements that prohibited him from using any phone.

Fishbein was represented by Lima attorney William Kluge.