Geno Battaia admitted to menacing the Euclid Fish Company.

The 31-year-old from Eastlake pleaded guilty to aggravated menacing in December and he will be sentenced Feb. 6 in Mentor Municipal Court.

He could be punished with up to six months in jail.

On Oct. 11, Battaia sent an email to Euclid Fish Company, his former employer, and threatened to spread harmful rumors about the business unless it gave him money, Mentor Police Capt. Ken Gunsch said when Battaia was arrested.

He was initially charged with a felony count of extortion. However, he was allowed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, instead.

Battaia has a criminal history. In 2007, he was convicted of assaulting two Willoughby police officers and sentenced to a year in prison.