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{{Short description|Former executive officer of Agriprocessors}}
'''Sholom Rubashkin''' is the former CEO of the ] ] slaughterhouse in ]. Rubashkin took over from his father ], who founded the plant in 1987. Sholom resigned shortly after federal agents raided Agriprocessors in May 2008. The raid resulted in the arrests and deportations of about 270 mostly Guatemalan undocumented workers. ''(See main article ]).''
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| birth_name = Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|10|30}}
| birth_place = ], ]
| nationality = American
| occupation = Kosher meat plant manager
| employer = Agriprocessors
| criminal_charge = Bank fraud
| criminal_penalty = 27 years imprisonment, $27 million in restitution. June 2010.
| criminal_status = Sentence commuted December 20, 2017
| spouse = Leah Rubashkin
| children = 10
| parents = ] (father)<br /> Rivka Rubashkin (mother)
| name =
| image = שלום מרדכי רובשקין.jpg
}}
{{Chabad (Rebbes and Chasidim)|Other notable figures}}


'''Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin''' (born October 30, 1959)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://matzav.com/reb-shalom-mordechai-rubashkin-marks-51st-birthday |title=Reb Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin Marks 51st Birthday| date=October 6, 2010|access-date=October 7, 2010|publisher=Matzav.com}}</ref> is the former CEO of ], a now-bankrupt ] ] and ] in ], formerly owned by his father, ]. During his time as CEO of the plant, Agriprocessors grew into one of the nation's largest kosher meat producers, but was also cited for issues involving animal cruelty,<ref name="peta.org">{{Citation|title=PETA Reveals Extreme Cruelty at Kosher Slaughterhouses {{!}} PETA|date=2010-06-16|url=https://www.peta.org/features/agriprocessors/|language=en-US|access-date=2021-01-31}}</ref> food safety, environmental safety, child labor, and hiring ].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/100000025 | title=American Greed: The Slaughterhouse| website=]}}</ref>
==Child Labor violations==
On September 9, 2008, Rubashkin, along with his father, Agriprocessors and two other managers were each charged with more than 9,000 violations of child labor laws.<ref></ref>


In November 2009, Rubashkin was convicted of 86 counts of financial ], including ], ] and ] and ]. In June 2010, he was sentenced to 27 years in ]. In a separate trial, he was ] of knowingly hiring underage workers. He served his sentence in ] in ]. In January 2011, his lawyers filed an appeal; on September 16, 2011, the appeals court ruled against Rubashkin. The ] refused to hear an appeal of that ruling on October 1, 2012. On December 20, 2017, asserting a large bipartisan push for the measure, President ] commuted Rubashkin's prison sentence after eight years served.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump Commutes Sentence of Kosher Meatpacking Executive|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/us/president-trump-iowa-commutation.html|access-date=December 20, 2017|newspaper=New York Times|date=December 21, 2017}}</ref>
==Arrests==
On October 30, 2008 Rubashkin was arrested on federal conspiracy charges of harboring illegal immigrants and aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft. The same day, after making an initial court appearance, he was released on the following conditions: He must wear an ankle bracelet that tracks his movement, limit his travail to northern Iowa, surrender his passport and his wife's passport and provide a $1 million appearance bond.
<ref>{{cite news |
publisher=Washington Post |
title=Former CEO of Iowa Kosher Meatpacking Plant Is Arrested |
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/30/AR2008103004617.html?hpid=sec-nation |
author=Lydersen, Kari |
date=October 31, 2008 }}</ref>


==Early life and marriage==
Rubashkin was arrested again on November 13, 2008 at his Postville home on Federal charges of ]. These new charges were due to the fact that under his direction millions of dollars that were supposed to be deposited in an account as collateral for a loan were fraudently diverted to another account, and were used to fraudulently increase the value of Agriprocessors accounts receivable. After the money was diverted Rubashkin ordered the records of these transactions removed from company computers. Rubashkin now faces up to 30 years in prison on these new charges.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/34460534.html | title = Agriprocessors Former Plant Manager Arrested Again | accessdate = 2008-11-17 | author = | last = Franzman | first = David | date = 2008-11-14| work = KCRG | publisher = Cedar Rapids Television Company}}</ref>
Sholom Rubashkin was the second-youngest son of Rivka and Aaron Rubashkin, a kosher butcher from ], born in ], Russia.<ref name="change"/> The Rubashkins are ] belonging to the ] ] movement.<ref name="change"/><ref>{{cite news | url=http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_49049762-69b9-11df-b3c1-001cc4c002e0.html | title=DCI investigator asked to guess ages of Agriprocessors workers |date=May 27, 2010 |author=Jeff Reinitz|work=Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier}} "The Rubashkin family would fall under Ultra Orthodox, said Weissmandel."</ref>


In 1981, Rubashkin married Leah Goldman and spent a year learning in ]. He then worked in his father's butcher shop, until he and his wife were sent to ], ], as emissaries (]) in the Chabad-Lubavitch ].<ref name="hamodia">{{cite web |url=http://www.hamodia.com/inthepaper.cfm?ArticleID=431 |title=Sholom Rubashkin: Community Patron Deals With Adversity |year=2010 |access-date=June 21, 2010|publisher=]}}</ref> A year later the couple moved to Minnesota, whence Rubashkin commuted to his father's new meat-packing plant in Postville for approximately three years before they relocated there.<ref name="testimony">{{cite web |url=http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/95338169.html|title=Testimony Complete in Rubashkin Child Labor Trial|author=Jeff Reinitz| work=Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier |date=June 1, 2010|access-date=July 20, 2010|publisher=KCRG-TV News}}</ref> The couple has ten children.<ref name=ross>{{cite news| title= Kosher Meat Plant Owner Wages Behind-the-Scenes Campaign to Limit Jail Time | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/kosher-meat-plant-owner-wages-scenes-campaign-limit/story?id=10458624|publisher= ABC News | author= Brian Ross |date= April 26, 2010| access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref>
On January 27, 2009 Judge Linda Reade released Rubashkin on $500,000 bond. Rubashkin was ordered to surrender all passports and birth certificates, and agree to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. He is not allowed to leave Allamakee County, nor allowed on any of Agriprocessors’ property and is barred from contacting a list of people related to the case.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=19FF7FA3-5056-B82A-3745DA652ADD718A | title = Former Agriprocessors executive expected to get out of jail Thursday | author = | last = Curtis | first = Pat | date = 2009-01-27| work = | publisher = Radio Iowa}}</ref> Defense attorneys successfully argued that Rubashkin is not a flight risk and has strong ties to the community despite prosecutors' fears that he would flee to Israel due to his Jewish heritage citing the Israeli ‘Law of Return’ policy, which grants expedited citizenship. "About a dozen rabbis from New York and across the country" were opposed to his being considered a flight risk. Federal agents said that they searched Rubashkin's bedroom, they found "20-thousand dollars in cash and silver coins packed along with passports".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/37480129.html | title = Rabbis Speak out for Sholom Rubashkin | author = | last = Wiedemann | first = Katie | date = 2009-01-27| work = | publisher = KCRG-TV News}}</ref>

==CEO of Agriprocessors==
In 1987, Aaron Rubashkin opened the Agriprocessors plant in ], and put two of his sons in charge: Sholom, the second-youngest, as ];<ref>Sholom Rubashkin is named as CEO of Agriprocessors in most sources (e.g. {{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/us/29postville.html|title=Life Sentence Is Debated for Meat Plant Ex-Chief|date=April 28, 2010|newspaper=New York Times|access-date=September 20, 2010}}, {{cite news|author=Kari Lydersen |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/30/AR2008103004617.html |title=Former CEO of Iowa Kosher Meatpacking Plant Is Arrested |newspaper=Washington Post|date=October 31, 2008 |access-date=September 20, 2010}}), but his being appointed CEO formally is disputed.</ref> and Heshy, the youngest, as vice president of marketing and sales. Eventually, Agriprocessors became the nation's largest kosher ] and ] and the only one authorized by Israel's Orthodox rabbinate to export beef to ].<ref name="meat">{{cite news |title=USDA Investigating Kosher Meat Plant|newspaper=Washington Post| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37569-2004Dec30.html| author=Alan Cooperman|date=December 31, 2004|access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> According to statistics Rubashkin gave to '']'', Agriprocessors' sales increased from $80 million in 1997 to $180 million in 2002. In 2002, Agriprocessors was ranked as one of the 30 biggest beef-packing plants in America.<ref name="change">{{cite web |url=http://www.forward.com/articles/14716/ |title=How the Rubashkins Changed the Way Jews Eat in America |author=Nathaniel Popper |date=December 11, 2008|access-date=June 17, 2010|publisher=]}}</ref>

Under Rubashkin's leadership, Agriprocessors was cited for issues involving animal treatment,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/10/national/10kosher.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin&oref=slogin |title=Inquiry Finds Lax Federal Inspections at Kosher Meat Plant|newspaper=New York Times|author=Donald G. McNeil Jr.|date=March 10, 2006| access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> food safety,<ref>Nathaniel Popper, , ''The Forward'', August 17, 2007</ref> environmental safety,<ref> LawyersandSettlements.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.</ref> child labor,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/us/08immig.html?scp=3&sq=rubashkin%20state%20trial&st=cse |title=Former Manager of Iowa Slaughterhouse Is Acquitted of Labor Charges |last=Preston |first=Julia |date=June 7, 2010 |access-date=June 23, 2010 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> and hiring other undocumented workers.

In 2004 and again in 2008, PETA documented Agriprocessors’ cruel treatment of animals and gruesome violations of Kosher law.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hodkin|first=Michelle|date=2005|title=When Ritual Slaughter Isnt Kosher: An Examination of Shechita and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act|url=https://www.animallaw.info/article/when-ritual-slaughter-isnt-kosher-examination-shechita-and-humane-methods-slaughter-act|journal=Journal of Animal Law|volume=1|pages=129|via=}}</ref><ref name="peta.org"/>

Rubashkin was replaced as CEO in September 2008.<ref>Lynda Waddington, ''The Iowa Independent'', November 29, 2008</ref> Agriprocessors' plants stopped operating in October 2008. On November 5, 2008, the firm filed for bankruptcy.

==Raid and arrests==
{{main|Postville Raid}}
On May 12, 2008, the ] and ] agents raided the plant and arrested 389 workers who had fraudulent identity documentation. At that time, it was the largest raid into a workplace in the United States.<ref name=ross/>

On October 30, 2008, one day after the Iowa labor commissioner fined Agriprocessors $10 million for wage violations, Rubashkin was arrested on federal conspiracy charges of harboring undocumented immigrants and aiding and abetting aggravated ]. Federal officials claimed that he intentionally helped undocumented workers obtain false documentation.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Washington Post |title=Former CEO of Iowa Kosher Meatpacking Plant Is Arrested |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/30/AR2008103004617.html?hpid=sec-nation |author=Kari Lydersen |date=October 31, 2008 | access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> After an initial court appearance, he was released the same day on $1 million appearance bond after agreeing to wear an ] to track his movement, to limit his travel to northern Iowa, and to surrender his and his wife's passports.<ref>{{cite web| date=October 30, 2008 | title= Rubashkin Released on $1 Million Bail| url=http://crownheights.info/general/14004/rubashkin-released-on-1-million-bail/| work=CrownHeights.info| author=AP|access-date=March 12, 2013}}</ref>

On November 13, 2008, Rubashkin was arrested again at his Postville home on federal charges of ]. The charges claimed that under his direction, millions of dollars that were supposed to be deposited in an account as collateral for a loan were fraudulently diverted to another account and used to fraudulently increase the value of Agriprocessors' accounts receivable. After the money was diverted, Rubashkin allegedly ordered the records of these transactions removed from company computers. The charges carried up to 30-year prison terms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/34460534.html |title=Agriprocessors Former Plant Manager Arrested Again |access-date=June 21, 2010 |author=David Franzman |date=November 14, 2008 |publisher=KCRG-TV News |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104060749/http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/34460534.html |archive-date=January 4, 2013 }}</ref>

Rubashkin was denied release on bail on November 20, 2008, after Magistrate Judge Jon Scoles determined that he posed a flight risk. Scoles took into consideration ]'s "]," which grants automatic citizenship to every Jew and members of his family upon immigration, as well as a search of Rubashkin's house in which federal agents found a bag with $20,000 in cash, several silver coins and passports.<ref name="collive">{{cite web| url=http://www.collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=787&alias=judge-no-bail-for-rubashkin| date=November 20, 2008| title= Judge: No Bail For Rubashkin| author=Lynda Waddington| work= Iowa Independent|access-date=March 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/37480129.html |title= Rabbis Speak out for Sholom Rubashkin |author=Katie Wiedemann |date=January 27, 2009 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |publisher=KCRG-TV News}}</ref> The successful use of an argument based on Israel's Law of Return has caused concern among Jewish communities who fear that such claims could be used to deny bail to Jews in general.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jta.org/news/article/2008/12/30/1001898/chabad-committee-formed-to-help-rubashkin-defense| title=Chabad committee formed to help Rubashkin defense| date=December 30, 2008| work=JTA | access-date=March 12, 2013}}</ref>

District Court Judge ] reversed Scoles's ruling on January 27, 2009. Rubashkin was released on $500,000 bond and ordered to surrender his birth certificate and his and his family's passports and agree to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. He was not allowed to leave Allamakee County or on any of Agriprocessors' property and was barred from having contact with potential witnesses.<ref name="krogstad">{{cite web| url= http://wcfcourier.com/business/local/rubashkin-freed-on-bail/article_61501301-82c5-5db6-b3c5-5cbee61c2a37.html| title=Rubashkin freed on $500,000 bail | author=Jens Manuel Krogstad| work= Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier | date=January 28, 2009| access-date=March 12, 2013}}</ref>


==Trials== ==Trials==
===Federal trials===
Rubashkin was convicted in November 2009 on 86 charges of financial fraud, including bank fraud, mail and wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors had claimed the company intentionally defrauded St. Louis-based First Bank on a revolving $35 million loan by faking invoices from meat dealers, inflating the value of the company.<ref>, ''New York Times'', 13 November 2009</ref>
Rubashkin was convicted in November 2009 on 86 charges of financial fraud, including bank fraud, mail and wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors claimed the company intentionally defrauded St. Louis based First Bank on a revolving $35 million loan by faking invoices from meat dealers, inflating the value of the company.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/13verdict.html?ref=todayspaper |title=Slaughterhouse Manager Convicted in Fraud Case |date=November 13, 2009 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |newspaper=New York Times}}</ref>


On Novermber 23, 2009 Rubashkin's second trial on 72 immigration charges was canceled following the government's request to dismiss. In its motion to dismiss, the U.S. Attorneys Office said any conviction on the immigration charges would have no impact upon his sentence, writing, "dismissal will avoid an extended and expensive trial, conserve limited resources, and lessen the inconvenience to witnesses."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-rubashkin-charges-dropped-111909,0,4002466.story | title = CHARGES DISMISSED: Judge dismisses 72 immigration charges against former Agriprocessors CEO| author = | last = | first = | date = 2009-10-23| work = | publisher = AP}}</ref> Federal Judge ] dismissed the immigration charges without prejudice. On November 23, 2009, Rubashkin's second trial on 72 immigration charges was canceled following the government's request to ]. In its motion to dismiss, the U.S. Attorney's Office said any conviction on the immigration charges would have no impact upon his sentence, writing, "dismissal will avoid an extended and expensive trial, conserve limited resources, and lessen the inconvenience to witnesses."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/rubashkin-won-t-face-immigration-trial/article_cf2b2a86-d530-11de-95cd-001cc4c03286.html | title=Rubashkin won't face immigration trial |newspaper=Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier |date=November 19, 2009 |access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> Reade dismissed the immigration charges ].


On March 3, 2010 Judge Reade denied Rubashkin's motion for dismissal of the financial corruption charges and a request for a new trial.<ref>http://blogs.wsj.com/bankruptcy/2010/03/04/judge-denies-ex-agriprocessors-exec-a-new-trial/tab/article/</ref> On March 3, 2010, Reade denied Rubashkin's motion for dismissal of the financial corruption charges and request for a new trial.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/bankruptcy/2010/03/04/judge-denies-ex-agriprocessors-exec-a-new-trial/tab/article/ |title=Judge denies Motion for New Trial |publisher=] Blogs |author=Jacqueline Palank |date=March 4, 2010 |access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref>


Rubashkin's sentencing hearing took place on April 28–29 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Prosecutors asked Reade to impose a life sentence. After that request came under fire from former Justice Department officials, including six former Attorneys General, one former solicitor general and more than a dozen former U.S. attorneys,<ref>{{cite news |author=Julia Preston |title=Life Sentence Is Debated for Meat Plant Ex-Chief |newspaper=New York Times |date=April 29, 2010 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/us/29postville.html}}</ref> Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Deegan said in court that the government would seek 25 years, while the defense asked for no more than six years.<ref>{{cite news |author=Nigel Duara, AP |title=Feds Back Off From Life Sentence for Slaughterhouse Fraud Case. In dispute, the amount of money lost by First Bank Business Capital is key because it could affect Rubashkin's sentence |publisher=Law.com |date=May 3, 2010 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |url=http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202457537495}}</ref>
Rubashkin's sentencing hearing will take place on April 29-29, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Prosecutors are asking for a life sentence, while the defense is asking for no more than six years.<ref>{{cite news |

title=RUBASHKIN SENTENCING: The lawyers for the former Agriprocessors CEO convicted on fraud charges are asking for a light sentence |
On June 22, 2010, Reade handed down a sentence of 27 years, two years more than prosecutors had requested.<ref name="sentence">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/us/22iowa.html |title=27-Year Sentence for Plant Manager | author= Julia Preston |date=June 21, 2010 |access-date=June 23, 2010 |newspaper=]}}</ref> According to a 52-page memorandum she released the day before sentencing, Reade imposed a 324-month prison term followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered Rubashkin to pay $18.5 million to First Bank Business Capital, the plant's largest lender; $8.3 million to MB Financial Bank, another lender; and $3,800 to Waverly Sales, Inc., which received late payments from the plant for cattle.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sholom Rubashkin to receive 27-year prison sentence |newspaper=] |url=http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/06/21/sholom-rubashkin-to-receive-27-year-prison-sentence/ |date=June 21, 2010 |access-date=June 21, 2010 }}</ref>
publisher=desmoines Register |

date=April 17, 2010 |
His lawyers requested that he be sent to ] due to the services the prison provides to religious Jewish inmates; Reade placed the request and the BOP granted it. His lawyers stated that he wished to be eventually sent to a lower-security prison.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mehaffey, Trish|url=http://www.thegazette.com/2010/08/09/sholom-rubashkin-transferred-to-otisville-federal-prison|title=Sholom Rubashkin transferred to Otisville federal prison|publisher=] (Cedar Rapids)|date=August 9, 2010|access-date=October 24, 2017}}</ref>
url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100417/NEWS/4170322/-1/BUSINESS04/Prosecutors-Rubashkin-deserves-life-in-prison }}</ref>

===State child labor trial===
Separate from the federal trials, Rubashkin went on trial on the child labor charges in state court in Waterloo, Iowa, starting May 4, 2010.<ref name="childlabortrialdate">{{cite news |title=Rubashkin jury selected; trial to start Monday |newspaper=Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier |url=http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/rubashkin-jury-selected-trial-to-start-monday/article_0bf752fe-586d-11df-bce4-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story |author=Jeff Reinitz|date=May 5, 2010 |access-date=June 9, 2012 }}</ref> Before the trial, charges against Agriprocessors corporate officer Aaron Rubashkin and plant human resources employee Laura Althouse were dismissed. Additionally, the number of charges in the indictment was amended to 83 from 9,311.<ref name=reinitz>{{cite news |url=http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_2c097c6c-579a-11df-b6b6-001cc4c002e0.html |title=Child labor case won't be delayed |publisher=Waterloo Valley Cedar Falls Courier |author=Jeff Reinitz |date=May 4, 2010 | access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> Sholom Rubashkin was ] of all charges on June 7, 2010,<ref>{{cite news |title=Jury foreman explains Rubashkin verdict |url= http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/0d598382-725e-11df-90b8-001cc4c002e0.html |newspaper=Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier |author=Jeff Reinitz |date=June 8, 2010 |access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> but Agriprocessors, which had been purchased by Heshy Friedman, entered a guilty plea to the 83 child labor charges, and the plant's human resources manager pleaded to state child labor charges under an agreement with the state.

In February 2016 the child labor case against Rubashkin was ].<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_3795a0a6-f57e-506f-984f-7497bddbac17.html |title=Moral stakes in Rubashkin child labor case were high, both sides say |newspaper=Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier |author=Jeff Reinitz |date=June 9, 2010 |access-date=October 19, 2010}}</ref>

===Unsuccessful motion for new trial===
On August 5, 2010, Rubashkin's lawyers filed a motion for new trial after having discovered that Reade was more involved in planning the 2008 immigration raid at Agriprocessors′ Postville plant than previously disclosed, claiming that "federal law and U.S. Supreme Court rulings would have required Reade to remove herself from the trial."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_f4f87fee-a0ae-11df-918f-001cc4c03286.html | title=Rubashkin asks for new trial after judge's role in raid is detailed | author=Josh Nelson| date=August 5, 2010 | publisher=Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier| access-date=November 9, 2010}}</ref> On October 27, 2010, Reade denied the motion.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101028/NEWS/10280345/Judge-says-no-to-Rubashkin-request| title=Judge says no to Rubashkin request | author=AP| date=October 28, 2010| newspaper= Des Moines Register| access-date=November 9, 2010}}</ref>

On January 3, 2011, Rubashkin's lawyers filed an appeal for a new trial with the ] in ]. In the brief, four arguments for a new trial were made. According to the brief, government documents that surfaced after Rubashkin's conviction and were not made available to the defense showed that Reade was involved in planning the federal immigration raid of the Postville plant in May 2008, which it sees as collusion with the prosecution. Reade's "excessive coziness" with prosecutors planning the raid raised doubts about her impartiality in the case, the brief claims, and states that as a result Reade should have recused herself, and that Rubashkin is entitled to a new trial or, at a minimum, an ].<ref>{{cite news | title=Rubashkin appeal seeks new trial | date=January 4, 2011 | publisher=JTA| url=http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/01/04/2742408/rubashking-seeking-new-trial }}</ref>

Following the filing of this appeal, the ] (ACLU), ] (NACDL) and ] (WLF) filed ] supporting Rubashkin's appeal for a new trial.<ref>{{cite news | title=ACLU Supports Agriprocessors Official's Appeal | date=January 16, 2011 | publisher=AP| url=http://www.necn.com/01/16/11/ACLU-supports-Agriprocessors-officials-a/landing_politics.html?&blockID=3&apID=d1bd2f137db345869e6b67ca2914b2f1 }}</ref> What has united the three groups is the involvement of the judge in the case with the prosecution, as argued by Rubashkin's defense team, which, according to ACLU's Iowa legal director Randall Wilson, "immediately gave the appearance of unfairness."<ref name="GBeckerman">{{cite news | author=Gal Beckerman| title=Even the ACLU Says Judge's Action Argues for New Rubashkin Trial| date=January 19, 2011 | publisher=The Forward| url=http://www.forward.com/articles/134821/}}</ref> The ACLU brief says: "Mr. Rubashkin's conviction should be vacated and he should get his 'day in court,' with a tribunal that is not an arm of the prosecution. Due Process demands it. The Separation of Powers Doctrine demands it."<ref>{{cite news | title=Prosecutors Scramble To Suppress Friend-of-the-Court Briefs in Rubashkin Appeal | date=January 12, 2011 | publisher=Yated Ne′eman| url=http://yated.com/content.asp?categoryid=0&contentid=272 }}</ref> The ACLU still sees Rubashkin as someone who exploited undocumented workers and underage labor, according to Wilson, but sees these as separate issues from the matter of legal principle argued in its brief.<ref name="GBeckerman"/> After the filing of the appeal, the government, in a rare move, denied consent to the filing of the three amicus briefs, and filed a Resistance with the Eighth Circuit, attempting to block the court from accepting the brief.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.yated.com/content.asp?contentid=311 | title=Government Attempts to Block Amicus Curiae for Rubashkin Seen As Undermining Justice | author=Debbie Maimon| date=March 2, 2011| publisher=Yated Ne′eman| access-date=March 2, 2011}}</ref> Following a law review published in Bloomberg Law Reports,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.arnoldporter.com/publications.cfm?id=2960&action=view | title=With Friends Like These: The Troubling Implications of the Government's Recent Effort to Block Amicus Curiae Briefs in a Controversial White Collar Criminal Appeal | author= Anthony J. Franze and R. Stanton Jones | date=February 2011| publisher=Arnold & Porter LLP | access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref> the government filed a brief to withdraw its opposition to the amicus briefs.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wlflegalpulse.com/2011/03/10/lessons-from-the-rubashkin-amicus-debacle-the-government%E2%80%99s-about-face-calls-for-a-doj-policy-on-friend-of-the-court-briefs/ | title=Lessons From the Rubashkin Amicus Debacle: The Government's About-Face Calls for a DOJ Policy on Friend-of-the-Court Briefs | author=Anthony J. Franze and R. Stanton Jones, Arnold & Porter LLP| date=March 10, 2011| publisher=The Legal Pulse| access-date=March 10, 2011}}</ref>

On March 11, 2011, the government filed its response to Rubashkin's appeal and on April 18, 2011, Rubashkin's lawyers filed their reply brief. The oral argument before the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals took place on June 15, 2011, in St. Louis.<ref name=newq>{{cite news |url= http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2011/05/new-questions-about-judges-impartiality-in-rubashkin-case-123.html | title=New questions surface about impartiality of federal judge | author=Jens Manuel Krogstad | date=March 28, 2011| publisher=Des Moines Register, article republished at FailedMessiah| access-date=March 28, 2011}}</ref> On September 16, 2011, the court ruled against Rubashkin.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/09/16/appeals-court-rubashkin-doesnt-deserve-new-trial/| title=Appeals court: Rubashkin doesn't deserve new trial| date=September 16, 2011 | author=Tony Leys|work=Des Moines Register| access-date=October 14, 2011}}</ref> Rubashkin's attorney said they would appeal to the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vosizneias.com/91504/2011/09/16/des-monies-ia-appeals-court-rubashkin-doesnt-deserve-new-trial| title=St. Louis, MO - Appeals Court: Rubashkin Doesn't Deserve New Trial |date=September 16, 2011| work=Vosizneias| access-date=October 14, 2011 }}</ref>

===Unsuccessful U.S. Supreme Court petition===
In early April 2012, Rubashkin petitioned the Supreme Court for a ], asking the Court to look into his case and sentencing. The Court denied the petition.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-rubashkin-idUSBRE8900YM20121001 |title=Supreme Court rejects kosher meat plant manager's appeal |
date=October 1, 2012 |author=Terry Baynes and Jonathan Stempel|work=Reuters }}</ref>

Represented by former US Solicitor General ] of Bancroft PLLC and ] of Lewin and Lewin LLP, Rubashkin argued that Reade, who met with prosecutors before the ], could not be impartial, and that his 27-year sentence was excessive for a first-time nonviolent offender.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=19407&alias=rubashkin-appeals-supreme-court | title=Rubashkin Appeals Supreme Court | work=Community News Service | date=April 2, 2012 | access-date=June 9, 2012}}</ref>

Six ]s were filed with the Supreme Court supporting Rubashkin's writ of certiorari. Amici included 86 former federal judges and Department of Justice officials (27 federal judges, 2 Attorneys General, 1 Inspector General, 2 FBI directors, 4 Deputy Attorneys General and 1 Solicitor General), ], ], 40 legal ethics professors, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, and ].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/126944/Amicus-Curiae-Urge-Supreme-Court-To-Hear-Rubashkin-Case.html | title=Amicus Curiae Urge Supreme Court To Hear Rubashkin Case | work=The Yeshiva World News | date=May 9, 2012 | access-date=June 9, 2012 | author=Debbie Maimon}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/waxman_amicus_brief--one_of_six_urging_cert_in_rubashkin_case--raises_quest/#166537 | title=Waxman Amicus Brief—One of Six Urging Cert in Rubashkin Case—Raises Questions of Bias | work=ABA Journal - Law News Now | date=May 10, 2012 | access-date=June 9, 2012 | author=Debra Cassens Weiss}}</ref>

==Responses==
On May 3, 2011, at a once-a-year House Oversight Hearing of the ] at which Attorney General ] testified, two members of Congress (] and ]) publicly mentioned Rubashkin's case to Holder.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/JusticeDepartmentOve | title=Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the House Judiciary Committee| date=May 3, 2011| publisher=]| access-date=May 3, 2011}}</ref>

Forty-five members of Congress wrote to Holder to ask questions about the handling of the case.<ref name=newq />

A petition on the White House's "We the People" website, asking then President ] to investigate Rubashkin's case, was submitted on October 22, 2011, with 52,226 online signatures. The White House's response was that it could not comment due to the ]. As to the allegations of prosecutorial unethical conduct, the White House asserted that the Department of Justice "has mechanisms in place to investigate allegations of prosecutorial misconduct."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/response/why-we-can%E2%80%99t-comment | title=Why We Can't Comment | publisher=The White House | work=We the People | date=October 22, 2011 | access-date=October 29, 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124052154/https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/Petitions#!/response/why-we-can%E2%80%99t-comment | archive-date=November 24, 2011 }}</ref>

In an op-ed titled "Prosecutors, judges decry Rubashkin 'witch hunt'" in the ''Des Moines Register'', Charles B. Renfrew and James H. Reynolds wrote, "The explanation as to 'why' the pursuit of Sholom Rubashkin was so overzealous that it bordered on a veritable witch hunt still remains elusive, but the clarification as to 'how' is now punctiliously laid out in both the merits brief and the letter to Mr. Techau: There was false testimony and willful manipulation, and that makes this a shocking case of prosecutorial misconduct."<ref>{{cite news|last1=James H. Reynolds|first1=Charles B. Renfrew|title=Prosecutors, judges decry Rubashkin "witch hunt"|url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2016/05/18/prosecutors-judges-decry-rubashkin-witch-hunt/84545848/|newspaper=Des Moines Register|date=May 18, 2016}}</ref>

==Commutation==
On December 20, 2017, President ] commuted Rubashkin's sentence.<ref>{{cite web|date=December 20, 2017|title=President Trump Commutes Sentence of Sholom Rubashkin|url=https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics/status/943606403817762817|access-date=December 20, 2017}}</ref> The White House wrote the commutation was "encouraged by bipartisan leaders from across the political spectrum, from Orrin Hatch to Nancy Pelosi", and was "based on expressions of support from Members of Congress and a broad cross-section of the legal community", although the action "is not a Presidential pardon. It does not vacate Mr. Rubashkin's conviction, and it leaves in place a term of supervised release and a substantial restitution obligation, which were also part of Mr. Rubashkin's sentence." Rubashkin was thus released 19 years earlier than planned.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-trump-commutes-sentence-sholom-rubashkin/ | via=] | work=] | title=President Trump Commutes Sentence of Sholom Rubashkin}}</ref> Harvard Law School professor emeritus ] had raised Rubashkin's case over lunch with Trump.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/alan-dershowitz-says-anyone-can-get-clemency-from-trump-as-buzz-builds-behind-bars | title=Alan Dershowitz says anyone can get clemency from Trump as buzz builds behind bars| date=June 3, 2018| magazine=Washington Examiner}}</ref> Opponents of undocumented immigration were upset by the commutation, and reportedly Trump did not answer a reporter's question that was shouted at him about whether he knew Rubashkin had hired undocumented immigrants.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/immigration-hawks-protest-trump-giving-sholom-rubashkin-first-prison-commutation | title=Immigration hawks protest Trump giving Sholom Rubashkin first prison commutation| date=December 21, 2017| magazine=Washington Examiner}}</ref>

==See also==
*]
*]
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*]


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==Further reading== ==External links==
*'']'', ]. Harcourt. ISBN 0156013363 *]: '']''. Harcourt, New York 2000 {{ISBN|0-15-601336-3}}
*Obama criticizes Agriprocessors | News | wcfcourier.com
* (By ])
* {{Cite web|author=Cornelia Butler Flora, Jan L. Flora|url=http://migration.ucdavis.edu/cf/files/2009-may/Flora.pdf|title=Lessons for Immigration Reform|publisher=Iowa State University|year=2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112104/http://migration.ucdavis.edu/cf/files/2009-may/Flora.pdf|archive-date=July 16, 2011}}
*Chicago Tribune Editorial: Chicago Tribune, June 21, 2010
*]: Cedar Rapids Gazette, June 25, 2010
*Stephen Gillers: , September 8, 2010
*Mark Harrison: , September 8, 2010
*{{Cite web|author=Allison L. McCarthy|url=http://www.uiowa.edu/~tlcp/TLCP%20Articles/19-1/mccarthy.finalfinal.mlb.022710.pdf|title=The May 12, 2008 Postville, Iowa Immigration Raid: A Human Rights Perspective|publisher=University of Iowa College of Law. Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems, Vol. 19:293|year=2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703183352/http://www.uiowa.edu/~tlcp/TLCP%20Articles/19-1/mccarthy.finalfinal.mlb.022710.pdf|archive-date=July 3, 2010}}
* ] and ]
*Robert Steinbuch & Brett Tolman: National Law Journal, August 16, 2010
*, May 4, 2012
*, May 4, 2012
*, May 4, 2012
*, May 4, 2012
*, May 4, 2012
*, May 4, 2012
*
*, Des Moines Register, May 23, 2016

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Latest revision as of 05:34, 3 November 2024

Former executive officer of Agriprocessors

Sholom Rubashkin
BornSholom Mordechai Rubashkin
(1959-10-30) October 30, 1959 (age 65)
Brooklyn, New York
NationalityAmerican
OccupationKosher meat plant manager
EmployerAgriprocessors
Criminal chargeBank fraud
Criminal penalty27 years imprisonment, $27 million in restitution. June 2010.
Criminal statusSentence commuted December 20, 2017
SpouseLeah Rubashkin
Children10
Parent(s)Aaron Rubashkin (father)
Rivka Rubashkin (mother)
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Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin (born October 30, 1959) is the former CEO of Agriprocessors, a now-bankrupt kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, formerly owned by his father, Aaron Rubashkin. During his time as CEO of the plant, Agriprocessors grew into one of the nation's largest kosher meat producers, but was also cited for issues involving animal cruelty, food safety, environmental safety, child labor, and hiring undocumented immigrants.

In November 2009, Rubashkin was convicted of 86 counts of financial fraud, including bank fraud, mail and wire fraud and money laundering. In June 2010, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison. In a separate trial, he was acquitted of knowingly hiring underage workers. He served his sentence in Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville in Mount Hope, New York. In January 2011, his lawyers filed an appeal; on September 16, 2011, the appeals court ruled against Rubashkin. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of that ruling on October 1, 2012. On December 20, 2017, asserting a large bipartisan push for the measure, President Donald Trump commuted Rubashkin's prison sentence after eight years served.

Early life and marriage

Sholom Rubashkin was the second-youngest son of Rivka and Aaron Rubashkin, a kosher butcher from Brooklyn, New York, born in Nevel, Russia. The Rubashkins are ultra-Orthodox Jews belonging to the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement.

In 1981, Rubashkin married Leah Goldman and spent a year learning in kollel. He then worked in his father's butcher shop, until he and his wife were sent to Atlanta, Georgia, as emissaries (shluchim) in the Chabad-Lubavitch outreach program. A year later the couple moved to Minnesota, whence Rubashkin commuted to his father's new meat-packing plant in Postville for approximately three years before they relocated there. The couple has ten children.

CEO of Agriprocessors

In 1987, Aaron Rubashkin opened the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa, and put two of his sons in charge: Sholom, the second-youngest, as CEO; and Heshy, the youngest, as vice president of marketing and sales. Eventually, Agriprocessors became the nation's largest kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant and the only one authorized by Israel's Orthodox rabbinate to export beef to Israel. According to statistics Rubashkin gave to Cattle Buyers Weekly, Agriprocessors' sales increased from $80 million in 1997 to $180 million in 2002. In 2002, Agriprocessors was ranked as one of the 30 biggest beef-packing plants in America.

Under Rubashkin's leadership, Agriprocessors was cited for issues involving animal treatment, food safety, environmental safety, child labor, and hiring other undocumented workers.

In 2004 and again in 2008, PETA documented Agriprocessors’ cruel treatment of animals and gruesome violations of Kosher law.

Rubashkin was replaced as CEO in September 2008. Agriprocessors' plants stopped operating in October 2008. On November 5, 2008, the firm filed for bankruptcy.

Raid and arrests

Main article: Postville Raid

On May 12, 2008, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security agents raided the plant and arrested 389 workers who had fraudulent identity documentation. At that time, it was the largest raid into a workplace in the United States.

On October 30, 2008, one day after the Iowa labor commissioner fined Agriprocessors $10 million for wage violations, Rubashkin was arrested on federal conspiracy charges of harboring undocumented immigrants and aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft. Federal officials claimed that he intentionally helped undocumented workers obtain false documentation. After an initial court appearance, he was released the same day on $1 million appearance bond after agreeing to wear an ankle monitor to track his movement, to limit his travel to northern Iowa, and to surrender his and his wife's passports.

On November 13, 2008, Rubashkin was arrested again at his Postville home on federal charges of bank fraud. The charges claimed that under his direction, millions of dollars that were supposed to be deposited in an account as collateral for a loan were fraudulently diverted to another account and used to fraudulently increase the value of Agriprocessors' accounts receivable. After the money was diverted, Rubashkin allegedly ordered the records of these transactions removed from company computers. The charges carried up to 30-year prison terms.

Rubashkin was denied release on bail on November 20, 2008, after Magistrate Judge Jon Scoles determined that he posed a flight risk. Scoles took into consideration Israel's "Law of Return," which grants automatic citizenship to every Jew and members of his family upon immigration, as well as a search of Rubashkin's house in which federal agents found a bag with $20,000 in cash, several silver coins and passports. The successful use of an argument based on Israel's Law of Return has caused concern among Jewish communities who fear that such claims could be used to deny bail to Jews in general.

District Court Judge Linda Reade reversed Scoles's ruling on January 27, 2009. Rubashkin was released on $500,000 bond and ordered to surrender his birth certificate and his and his family's passports and agree to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. He was not allowed to leave Allamakee County or on any of Agriprocessors' property and was barred from having contact with potential witnesses.

Trials

Federal trials

Rubashkin was convicted in November 2009 on 86 charges of financial fraud, including bank fraud, mail and wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors claimed the company intentionally defrauded St. Louis based First Bank on a revolving $35 million loan by faking invoices from meat dealers, inflating the value of the company.

On November 23, 2009, Rubashkin's second trial on 72 immigration charges was canceled following the government's request to dismiss without prejudice. In its motion to dismiss, the U.S. Attorney's Office said any conviction on the immigration charges would have no impact upon his sentence, writing, "dismissal will avoid an extended and expensive trial, conserve limited resources, and lessen the inconvenience to witnesses." Reade dismissed the immigration charges without prejudice.

On March 3, 2010, Reade denied Rubashkin's motion for dismissal of the financial corruption charges and request for a new trial.

Rubashkin's sentencing hearing took place on April 28–29 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Prosecutors asked Reade to impose a life sentence. After that request came under fire from former Justice Department officials, including six former Attorneys General, one former solicitor general and more than a dozen former U.S. attorneys, Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Deegan said in court that the government would seek 25 years, while the defense asked for no more than six years.

On June 22, 2010, Reade handed down a sentence of 27 years, two years more than prosecutors had requested. According to a 52-page memorandum she released the day before sentencing, Reade imposed a 324-month prison term followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered Rubashkin to pay $18.5 million to First Bank Business Capital, the plant's largest lender; $8.3 million to MB Financial Bank, another lender; and $3,800 to Waverly Sales, Inc., which received late payments from the plant for cattle.

His lawyers requested that he be sent to Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville due to the services the prison provides to religious Jewish inmates; Reade placed the request and the BOP granted it. His lawyers stated that he wished to be eventually sent to a lower-security prison.

State child labor trial

Separate from the federal trials, Rubashkin went on trial on the child labor charges in state court in Waterloo, Iowa, starting May 4, 2010. Before the trial, charges against Agriprocessors corporate officer Aaron Rubashkin and plant human resources employee Laura Althouse were dismissed. Additionally, the number of charges in the indictment was amended to 83 from 9,311. Sholom Rubashkin was acquitted of all charges on June 7, 2010, but Agriprocessors, which had been purchased by Heshy Friedman, entered a guilty plea to the 83 child labor charges, and the plant's human resources manager pleaded to state child labor charges under an agreement with the state.

In February 2016 the child labor case against Rubashkin was expunged.

Unsuccessful motion for new trial

On August 5, 2010, Rubashkin's lawyers filed a motion for new trial after having discovered that Reade was more involved in planning the 2008 immigration raid at Agriprocessors′ Postville plant than previously disclosed, claiming that "federal law and U.S. Supreme Court rulings would have required Reade to remove herself from the trial." On October 27, 2010, Reade denied the motion.

On January 3, 2011, Rubashkin's lawyers filed an appeal for a new trial with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. In the brief, four arguments for a new trial were made. According to the brief, government documents that surfaced after Rubashkin's conviction and were not made available to the defense showed that Reade was involved in planning the federal immigration raid of the Postville plant in May 2008, which it sees as collusion with the prosecution. Reade's "excessive coziness" with prosecutors planning the raid raised doubts about her impartiality in the case, the brief claims, and states that as a result Reade should have recused herself, and that Rubashkin is entitled to a new trial or, at a minimum, an evidentiary hearing.

Following the filing of this appeal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) filed amicus briefs supporting Rubashkin's appeal for a new trial. What has united the three groups is the involvement of the judge in the case with the prosecution, as argued by Rubashkin's defense team, which, according to ACLU's Iowa legal director Randall Wilson, "immediately gave the appearance of unfairness." The ACLU brief says: "Mr. Rubashkin's conviction should be vacated and he should get his 'day in court,' with a tribunal that is not an arm of the prosecution. Due Process demands it. The Separation of Powers Doctrine demands it." The ACLU still sees Rubashkin as someone who exploited undocumented workers and underage labor, according to Wilson, but sees these as separate issues from the matter of legal principle argued in its brief. After the filing of the appeal, the government, in a rare move, denied consent to the filing of the three amicus briefs, and filed a Resistance with the Eighth Circuit, attempting to block the court from accepting the brief. Following a law review published in Bloomberg Law Reports, the government filed a brief to withdraw its opposition to the amicus briefs.

On March 11, 2011, the government filed its response to Rubashkin's appeal and on April 18, 2011, Rubashkin's lawyers filed their reply brief. The oral argument before the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals took place on June 15, 2011, in St. Louis. On September 16, 2011, the court ruled against Rubashkin. Rubashkin's attorney said they would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Unsuccessful U.S. Supreme Court petition

In early April 2012, Rubashkin petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, asking the Court to look into his case and sentencing. The Court denied the petition.

Represented by former US Solicitor General Paul Clement of Bancroft PLLC and Nathan Lewin of Lewin and Lewin LLP, Rubashkin argued that Reade, who met with prosecutors before the Postville Raid, could not be impartial, and that his 27-year sentence was excessive for a first-time nonviolent offender.

Six amicus briefs were filed with the Supreme Court supporting Rubashkin's writ of certiorari. Amici included 86 former federal judges and Department of Justice officials (27 federal judges, 2 Attorneys General, 1 Inspector General, 2 FBI directors, 4 Deputy Attorneys General and 1 Solicitor General), National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Washington Legal Foundation, 40 legal ethics professors, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, and Justice Fellowship.

Responses

On May 3, 2011, at a once-a-year House Oversight Hearing of the Judiciary Committee at which Attorney General Eric Holder testified, two members of Congress (Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Sheila Jackson Lee) publicly mentioned Rubashkin's case to Holder.

Forty-five members of Congress wrote to Holder to ask questions about the handling of the case.

A petition on the White House's "We the People" website, asking then President Barack Obama to investigate Rubashkin's case, was submitted on October 22, 2011, with 52,226 online signatures. The White House's response was that it could not comment due to the separation of powers. As to the allegations of prosecutorial unethical conduct, the White House asserted that the Department of Justice "has mechanisms in place to investigate allegations of prosecutorial misconduct."

In an op-ed titled "Prosecutors, judges decry Rubashkin 'witch hunt'" in the Des Moines Register, Charles B. Renfrew and James H. Reynolds wrote, "The explanation as to 'why' the pursuit of Sholom Rubashkin was so overzealous that it bordered on a veritable witch hunt still remains elusive, but the clarification as to 'how' is now punctiliously laid out in both the merits brief and the letter to Mr. Techau: There was false testimony and willful manipulation, and that makes this a shocking case of prosecutorial misconduct."

Commutation

On December 20, 2017, President Donald Trump commuted Rubashkin's sentence. The White House wrote the commutation was "encouraged by bipartisan leaders from across the political spectrum, from Orrin Hatch to Nancy Pelosi", and was "based on expressions of support from Members of Congress and a broad cross-section of the legal community", although the action "is not a Presidential pardon. It does not vacate Mr. Rubashkin's conviction, and it leaves in place a term of supervised release and a substantial restitution obligation, which were also part of Mr. Rubashkin's sentence." Rubashkin was thus released 19 years earlier than planned. Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz had raised Rubashkin's case over lunch with Trump. Opponents of undocumented immigration were upset by the commutation, and reportedly Trump did not answer a reporter's question that was shouted at him about whether he knew Rubashkin had hired undocumented immigrants.

See also

References

  1. "Reb Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin Marks 51st Birthday". Matzav.com. October 6, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  2. ^ PETA Reveals Extreme Cruelty at Kosher Slaughterhouses | PETA, June 16, 2010, retrieved January 31, 2021
  3. "American Greed: The Slaughterhouse". CNBC.
  4. "Trump Commutes Sentence of Kosher Meatpacking Executive". New York Times. December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  5. ^ Nathaniel Popper (December 11, 2008). "How the Rubashkins Changed the Way Jews Eat in America". The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  6. Jeff Reinitz (May 27, 2010). "DCI investigator asked to guess ages of Agriprocessors workers". Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. "The Rubashkin family would fall under Ultra Orthodox, said Weissmandel."
  7. "Sholom Rubashkin: Community Patron Deals With Adversity". Hamodia. 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  8. Jeff Reinitz (June 1, 2010). "Testimony Complete in Rubashkin Child Labor Trial". Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. KCRG-TV News. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  9. ^ Brian Ross (April 26, 2010). "Kosher Meat Plant Owner Wages Behind-the-Scenes Campaign to Limit Jail Time". ABC News. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  10. Sholom Rubashkin is named as CEO of Agriprocessors in most sources (e.g. "Life Sentence Is Debated for Meat Plant Ex-Chief". New York Times. April 28, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2010., Kari Lydersen (October 31, 2008). "Former CEO of Iowa Kosher Meatpacking Plant Is Arrested". Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2010.), but his being appointed CEO formally is disputed.
  11. Alan Cooperman (December 31, 2004). "USDA Investigating Kosher Meat Plant". Washington Post. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  12. Donald G. McNeil Jr. (March 10, 2006). "Inquiry Finds Lax Federal Inspections at Kosher Meat Plant". New York Times. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  13. Nathaniel Popper, "Kosher Slaughterhouse’s Food-Safety Record Criticized by Regulators", The Forward, August 17, 2007
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