Online car dealer pleads guilty

LIMA - Instead of making his best sales pitch to proclaim his innocence to a jury an online car dealer pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges that could land him in prison for more than six years.

Robert Shin, 49, pleaded guilty to three counts of grand theft and two counts of passing bad checks as part of a deal in which prosecutors dropped 10 other charges against him and agreed not to purse any other charges.

Shin will face up to 6.5 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 20 in Allen County Common Pleas Court. He was scheduled to go on trial later this month.

Shin agreed he would serve at least four years in prison as part of the deal. Prosecutors will argue at his sentencing why they want him to do the full time. Shin also agreed he could be ordered to pay restitution to all the victims even in the cases that were dismissed.

Shin was an online auto dealer. He was accused of stealing more than $55,000 by running an online dealership on eBay but not always following through on his sales.

Shin's girlfriend and business partner, Angela O'Black, was found guilty of grand theft and selling a motor vehicle without a title, both felonies. She faces more than two years in prison for her role.