Sholom M. Rubashkin

Rubashkin, who is the 50-year-old son of Agriprocessors founder and president A. Aaron Rubashkin, was convicted of all possible money laundering and mail, wire and bank fraud charges. He was also convicted on 15 out of 20 counts of failing to provide timely pay to livestock auctions and providers.

The verdict followed nearly a month of testimony and evidence in which the government sought to paint Rubashkin as one, if not the, mastermind in a plot to defraud creditors. The defense team, in contrast, chose to portray Rubashkin as inexperienced, naive and unprepared to serve as day-to-day manager for such a large undertaking as the kosher meatpacking plant in Postville.

Following the lengthy reading of the verdict, Rubashkin was taken into federal custody, and his defense attorney, Guy Cook, pledged to appeal. Rubashkin is expected to return to eastern Iowa next week for sentencing and a possible bail hearing pending appeal. He faces a maximum sentence of more than 1,000 years in prison for the guilty verdicts.

An early December trial has been slated for an additional 72 federal immigration-related charges against Rubashkin, and he also faces a trial in state court this spring for possible child labor law violations.

All of the charges stem back to a massive May 12, 2008 immigration raid at the Postville facility. More than 300 immigrant workers detained by federal authorities pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to identity theft within days of their apprehension, and the bulk have been deported after serving brief federal prison sentences. Some immigrant workers, however, continue to live in and around Postville and are expected to be called by the prosecution in the upcoming trial.

The road between the actual raid and the federal trial in Sioux Falls, S.D., was long and has often wound its way through traditionally uncomfortable conversations for Americans regarding immigration, civil rights, religious expression and the composition and worth of charity.

The Rubashkin family, all ultra-orthodox Jews affiliated with the Hasidic Chabad Lubavitch movement, have at times suggested that the charges against them stem not from any alleged illegal activity, but from anti-Semitism. Throughout the investigation, and especially following the initial arrest and jailing of Sholom Rubashkin, many of the Jewish religious faithful, either through their own conscience or through the prodding and help of Chabad, have defended the Rubashkins from wrongdoing and stood as character witnesses for the family’s contributions.

Both inside and outside of Jewish circles, however, the Rubashkins have drawn criticism, many believing that generosity was born of ill-gotten-gains, harvested on the back of an underpaid and often mistreated immigrant workforce. Media reports, which prompted the move of the trials from Iowa to South Dakota, have given supposed victims of child labor and sexual harassment at the Postville plant a voice.

The company known as Agriprocessors fell into bankruptcy last year, and has re-emerged as AgriStar under the new ownership of SHF Industries, a venture of Canadian businessman Hershey Friedman. Heshy Rubaskin, brother to Sholom and son of Aaron, continues to work at the reborn business.

At least six former members of plant management or the human resources department have pleaded guilty in the wake of the 2008 immigration raid:

April 13, 2009 — Elizabeth Billmeyer, 48 and the former human resources manager, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit and one count of knowingly accepting false resident alien cards.

March 19, 2009 — Penny Ann Hanson, 41 and a former human resources employee, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements on immigration documents.

Dec. 10, 2008 — Karina Pilar Freund, 29 and a former human resources employee, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of aiding and abetting a pattern or practice of hiring undocumented aliens.

Oct. 29, 2008 — Laura Althouse, 38 and a former human resources employee, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Aug. 27, 2008 — Martin De La Rosa-Loera, 43 and a former plant supervisor, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the harboring of undocumented aliens.

Aug. 20, 2008 — Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza, 35 and a former plant supervisor, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to hire illegal aliens and one count of aiding and abetting the hiring of illegal aliens.

Former plant operations manager Brent Beebe, 51, will soon be tried on immigration-related charges in federal court. Two additional plant managers — Hosam Amara and Zeev Levi — also face criminal charges, but have yet to be apprehended by authorities.

The case, which had been scheduled to start next month, was delayed after Judge Nathan Callahan received requests from both prosecutors and defendants. A new date has not been set, but the groups are scheduled to come back before the judge on Jan. 6, 2010 for a status hearing.

In September 2008, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office charged several persons affiliated with the Agriprocessors plant — the site of a massive immigration raid in May 2008 — with more than 9,000 counts of child labor law violations. Named in the state charges were A. Aaron Rubashkin (company founder and owner), Sholom Rubashkin (day-to-day chief executive officer), Elizabeth Billmeyer (director of human resources), Laura Althouse (human resources worker) and Karina Freund (human resources employee).

Nearly all of those facing these state charges have also been charged and/or faced federal immigration-related charges.

Elizabeth Billmeyer, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit and one count of knowingly accepting false resident alien cards. Billmeyer was charged on March 31, following information that she had conspired for more than five years with two other employees at Agriprocessors to employ illegal immigrants for commercial advantage and private financial gain. It was also during that time, according to court records, that Billmeyer accepted alien resident cards that she knew to be fraudulent.

Billmeyer remains free on bond pending sentencing. She faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, a $200 special assessment and six years of supervised release following any prison term. Billmeyer is also one of the Agriprocessors employees named in a state case that alleges more than 9,000 violations of child labor laws.

The case is one of many in the wake of a federal immigration enforcement effort at the plant last year that netted 389 workers. Two individuals that worked under Billmeyer in the human resources department, Laura Althouse and Katrina Freund, have already made guilty pleas. Other supervisors and members of management at the plant await their day in court. Sholom Rubashkin, son of the company founder and day-to-day executive in Postville, is scheduled for trial in September on numerous charges relating from immigration conspiracy to bank fraud.

The future of the plant remains in turmoil as creditors and potential buyers hash out a possible Chapter 11 bankruptcy sale.

Karina Pilar Freund, a resident of Fayette, was convicted of one misdemeanor count of aiding and abetting a pattern or practice of hiring undocumented aliens. Documents filed on Dec. 9 with the court indicated that Freund, while employed in the human resources department at Agriprocessors, aided in the unlawful employment of such individuals, knowing that the people were not authorized to work in the U.S.

A sentencing date has not yet been determined, and Freund remains free on bond until that hearing. She faces a possible maximum sentence of six months in prison or a term of probation of not more than five years. She also faces a fine of up to $3,000 for each undocumented worker involved in the offense.

Fruend was one of five plant employees and members of management named in a Nov. 21 indictment. At that time she had already been facing charges for harboring undocumented aliens for profit, and the indictment added a charge of conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit. While the specific terms of the plea agreement she signed today in federal court have not yet been made public, it is likely that these charges will be dropped.

Laura Althouse, 38, who also worked in the human resources department at Agriprocessors, pleaded guilty on Oct. 29 to one count of conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens and one count of aggravated identity theft. The indictment of the five employees handed down in late November relied heavily on the testimony of Althouse and former plant supervisors Martin De La Rosa and Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza. They have also been convicted on charges related to immigration.

In addition to the federal charges, Freund and Althouse remain parties in a state criminal complaint that alleges more than 9,000 child labor law violations at the plant. Although Elizabeth Billmeyer, former manager at the Agriprocessors human resources department, has not yet been mentioned by the federal authorities, she is also named in the child labor law complaint that was filed in September by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

Agriprocessors, which filed in early November for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, only recently resumed limited poultry production at the Postville facility. A sister-site in Gordon, Neb. remains closed.

Hosam Amara, left, and Zeev Levi are former members of the management team at Agriprocessors. Both men are believed to have fled the jurisdiction following the massive May 12 immigration raid at the plant and are wanted by federal authorities. They are two of the five members of management indicted by grand jury.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa unsealed new charges against Agriprocessors and five members of the meatpacking company’s management team today. The charges, ranging from immigration-related offenses to bank fraud, are included in a 12-count indictment.

Members of management named in the indictment are former Agriprocessors Chief Executive Sholom M. Rubashkin, 49; plant Operations Manager Brent Beebe, 51; former plant Poultry Manager Hosam Amara, 44; former plant Poultry Manager Zeev Levi; and former plant human resources employee Karina Freund, 29.

Charges from the indictment are as follows:

• Agriprocessors, Inc. — conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit, harboring undocumented aliens for profit, conspiracy to commit document fraud, aiding and abetting document fraud, six counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft, and two counts of bank fraud
• Rubashkin — conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit, harboring undocumented aliens for profit, conspiracy to commit document fraud, aiding and abetting document fraud, six counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft, and two counts of bank fraud
• Beebe — conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit, harboring undocumented aliens for profit, conspiracy to commit document fraud, aiding and abetting document fraud, and six counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft
• Amara — conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit, harboring undocumented aliens for profit, conspiracy to commit document fraud, and aiding and abetting document fraud
• Levi — conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit, harboring undocumented aliens for profit, conspiracy to commit document fraud, and aiding and abetting document fraud
• Freund — conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit and harboring undocumented aliens for profit (The harboring charge is restated from a prior indictment, but the conspiracy to harbor charge is new.)

Beebe was arrested without incident at approximately noon at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and the U.S. Marshals Service. He is slated to appear this afternoon in federal court in Cedar Rapids for an initial appearance and arraignment.

Rubashkin, who learned yesterday that he would remain in federal custody until trial on a different charge, is already being held in the Dubuque County Jail. Freund was released on conditions including electronic monitoring.

Federal authorities continue to search for Amara and Levi, both believed to have fled the jurisdiction shortly after the massive May 12 immigration raid at the kosher meatpacking plant. Iowa Independent was the first news outlet to report that Amara was believed to have fled. Those with information regarding Amara’s or Levi’s whereabouts are encouraged to contact ICE at (866) 347-2423.

Arraignments for Agriprocessors, Rubashkin and Freund have been scheduled for Nov. 26. In addition, Rubashkin and Freund already had a trial on other charges related to Agriprocessors slated for Jan. 20, 2009.

The Indictment

The week prior to the immigration raid, according to court documents, then Agriprocessors CEO Rubashkin loaned $4,500 to employees known to have fraudulent identification documents. Allegedly, Beebe then gave the money to the undocumented employees so that they could purchase new fraudulent alien resident cards. An Agriprocessors foreman, yet unnamed in court documents, arranged the purchase of the documents and Rubashkin allegedly asked human resources employees at the plant to work on Sunday, May 11, to complete all the new paperwork for several employees. The indictment states that Beebe was present that afternoon and assisted with the paperwork.

The indictment handed down yesterday by the grand jury relies heavily on the testimony provided by former Agriprocessors employees Martin De La Rosa, Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza and Laura Althouse – all of which have been in federal court on their own immigration-related charges – to make the conspiracy, harboring and document fraud charges.

Previous court documents have indicated that 96 fraudulent alien resident cards and application paperwork were seized from the Agriprocessors human resources office on the day of the raid. Approximately 90 of the cards had numbers that were assigned to other people.

The bank fraud charges listed in the indictment stem from an incident on Feb. 29 in which Rubashkin, on behalf of the company, made a false certification to a lending bank that Agriprocessors was operating in a law-abiding manner, despite his having prior knowledge that numerous undocumented workers were employed at the plant. In addition, the indictment discusses Rubashkin’s alleged actions in September 2008 to divert customer payments away from a lender’s account, in order to enhance the Agriprocessors bottom line and pull additional funds from an existing line of credit tied to the customer payments.

“Beginning on a date unknown to the grand jury and continuing through about October 2008, in the Northern District of Iowa and elsewhere, defendants Agriprocessors and Sholom Rubashkin knowingly executed, and attempted to execute, a scheme to obtain funds under the control of First Bank and FBBC by means of fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.

“… Rubashkin, on behalf of defendant Agriprocessors, and contrary to the terms of the loan agreement, diverted customer payments on accounts receivable. Defendant Rubashkin then hid from FBBC the fact that the customer payments had been received by, among other things, causing defendant Agriprocessors’ books to inaccurately reflect that no such payments had been received. By doing this, defendant Rubashkin cased defendant Agriprocessors’ books to inaccurately reflect that customers owed inflated amounts of money on their accounts. … Eventually, and in order to hide this portion of the scheme, defendant Rubashkin caused checks of Agriprocessors and third party entites he controlled to be drafted payable to defendant Agriprocessors and then presented to FBBC in such a way that they fraudulently appeared to be from a customer.”

The Penalties

The company faces numerous fines in conjunction with the charges. On five charges — the conspiracy to harbor, the harboring, the conspiracy to commit document fraud, the aiding and abetting document fraud, and aiding and abetting document fraud -– the company faces a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the pecuniary gain from the offense. Since the company was charged with six counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft, the company faces the fine on each count. In addition, the company faces a fine of the greater of $1 million or twice the loss caused in relation to the bank fraud charges.

The individuals also face hefty fines for their alleged wrongdoings. The individuals, unlike the company, however, also face prison time.

The possible maximum penalty on charges of conspiracy to harbor is 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Charges of harboring and aiding and abetting document fraud carry the same possible maximum sentence. Conspiracy to commit document fraud carries a possible maximum five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory consecutive two years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release.

“Once again, Agriprocessors has demonstrated a complete disregard for Iowa law,” Dave Neil, Iowa labor commissioner, said in a prepared statement this morning. “This continued course of violations is a black mark on Iowa’s business community.”

Agriprocessors management will have 30 days to file written notice that they contest the $9.98 million penalty assessment by the state. Included in the assessment are:

• $9,643,000 penalty for illegally deducting a charge for frocks ($100 per instance, 96,436 separate instances) — affecting 2,001 employees for a total of $192,597.36 in lost wages.
• $339,700 assessment for illegally deducting “sales tax/miscellaneous” costs 3,397 times — affecting 1,073 employees for a total of $72,189.09 in lost wages.
• $264,786.45 in back wages

Additionally, the state is charging that Agriprocessors failed to pay 42 employees their last paychecks on May 16 and May 23, following the massive immigration raid at the plant on May 12.  Information released by the state indicates that “due to the overlapping nature of pay periods, seven individuals were shorted two paychecks.” The kosher meatpacker was assessed a $4,900 penalty for this violation.

Laura Althouse, 38 and a former human resources department worker at Agriprocessors, pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to one count of conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Court documents indicate that Althouse conspired with others to harbor undocumented workers at Agriprocessors in Postville, and that she did so for commercial advantage and private financial gain. Information from the court also showed that Althouse “possessed and used, without lawful authority,” a resident alien numer that was assigned to another person in committing the harboring offense.

Althouse currently remains free on bond, but her sentencing is pending. She faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and a possible maximum of 12 years in prison, a $500,000 fine and 4 years of supervised release.

Another Agriprocessors human resources worker, Karina Freund, has pleaded not guilty to immigration-related charges and remains released on bond. Both women have been named, along with other members of plant management, in a criminal complaint alleging more than 9,000 violations of Iowa child labor laws.

Two former middle management supervisors at the plant have also pleaded guilty to other immigration-related charges.

The various state and national investigations into practices as Agriprocessors appear to be taking a toll on the plant. Sources in Postville told Iowa Independent that the beef line at the plant has been shut down for three days, and that the roughly 250 cattle being kept in a holding pen were loaded on to trucks this morning. A call directly to the Postville facility to confirm the report resulted in no comment. Out-of-state spokespersons have not immediately responded to Iowa Independent’s request.

Laura Althouse, 38 of Postville, told the court she was not guilty of aiding and abetting document fraud and aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft.

Katrina Freund, 29 of Fayette, pleaded not guilty to harboring and aiding and abetting the harboring of undocumented aliens.

According to court documents, the women were working in the human resources department on May 11 — the day before a massive federal immigration raid at the kosher meatpacking plant. The court alleges that on that day the two women aided individuals they knew to be undocumented workers with obtaining new documents so they could continue employment at Agriprocessors.

After entering their pleas with the court, both women remain released on bond pending an Oct. 2 status hearing and a Nov. 17 trial date.

If found guilty Althouse will face a minimum 2 year sentence and a maximum 12 year prison sentence, a $500,000 fine, $200 in special assessments and 4 years of supervised release.

Freund, if found guilty, faces a maximum 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, $100 in special assessments and three years of supervised release.

Karina Freund, 29, of Fayette, and Laura Althouse, 38, of Postville, are now scheduled for arraignment Sept. 24.

Althouse, now formally charged with aiding and abetting document fraud and aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft, worked in the human resources department and had duties related to payroll at Agriprocessors, according to court documents. The original complaint stated that on May 11, the day before Immigration and Customs Enforcment raided the plant, Althouse was in the plant and helping employess complete new job-related documents and applications with newly acquired false identities.

If convicted on all charges, Althouse faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years and a possible maximum sentence of 12 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, a special assessment of $200 and four years of supervised release.

Freund is now formally charged with harboring and aiding and abetting the harboring of undocumented aliens. The original complaint filed with the court alleged that she worked in the human resource department and that several undocumented alien employees at Agriprocessors have implicated her in helpng them obtain falsified documents.

If convicted, Freund faces a possible maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a special assessment of $100 and three years of supervised release.

Three other members of management at Agriprocessors have had complaints filed against them in federal court. Two of those cases resulted in plea bargains. The third complaint remains sealed while officials search for former plant supervisor Hosam Amara.

The company, Althouse, Freud and three other company officials — Aaron Rubashkin, Sholom Rubashkin and Elizabeth Billmeyer — face state charges on possible violation of child labor laws.

Laura Althouse, 38 of Postville, and Karina Freund, 29 of Fayette, were arrested this morning by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville.

Althouse has been charged with aiding and abetting document fraud, aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens. Documents filed with the court allege that on May 11, the day before federal authories launched a massive immigration raid at the plant, an Agriprocessors supervisor was in the human resources department assisting employees with the completion of new applications, in new names, and using newly acquired false identification documents. In addition, the documents indicate that Althouse was assisting with this process, knowing that some of the applicants were current employees who worked in the supervisor’s department.

Freund is charged with aiding and abetting the harboring of undocumented aliens. Court documents allege that several former, undocumented alien employees at the plant have implicated Freund in helping them obtain false identification documents.

The two women appeared in federal court today. Althouse was released on bond. Freund is temporarily being held, but is expected to be released with an electronic monitoring device. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 24.

If convicted on the charges, Althouse faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison and a possible maximum sentence of 22 years in prison, a $750,000 fine, special assessments of $300 and seven years of supervised release. Freund faces a possible maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a special assessment of $100 and 3 years supervised release.

Althouse and Freund were also named today in the state’s case of alleged child labor law violations at Agriprocessors.

“In order to convict, the state is going to have to prove that the defendants willfully violated the child labor laws,” said Chaim Abrahams. “That means that the state, as to every one of the alleged violations, is going to have to prove that each defendant know that the employee was underage on the day in question, and knew that it was against the law for the person to be employed in the manner alleged. The state will not be able to carry this burden of proof. Agriprocessors acted in good faith on the child labor issue.”

Abrahams, who is a member of management at Agriprocessors in Postville, was not among the five individuals named in the child labor law violations case filed this morning in Allamakee County. Named along with the company as a whole were Abraham Aaron Rubashkin, Sholom M. Rubashkin, Elisabeth Billmeyer, Laura Althouse and Karina Freund. They all face more than 9,000 counts of violating the state’s child labor laws.

“Agriprocessors vehemently denies these allegations and looks forward to trial so that it may put to rest the insidious notion that it knowingly employed underage workers,” Abrahams said.

According to Abrahams, the minors caught working at the plant during the May 12 immigration raid — as well as any other who claim to have been employed by Agriprocessors — lied about their age to gain employment.

“At the time of hiring, all of the minors, like all job applicants, presented and signed documents stating that they were over 18,” he said. “They know that, if they told the truth about their age, they would not be hired. In addition, the company’s human resources employees, if they suspected that an applicant was underage, routinely and regularly rejected the application until the applicant could produce a birth certificate showing their true age.”

Abrahams said that when the company learned a minor might be on the payroll, it investigated and, if the allegations were found to be true, terminated the employee immediately.

The charges faced by Agriprocessors are simple misdemeanors, each punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine of $65 to $625.