New York, NY – Supporters of Sholom Rubashkin today blasted the U.S. Justice Department’s response to their January plea for bail for Mr. Rubashkin, who remains in an Iowa prison pending sentencing in a bank fraud case.
In a letter to the nation’s most prominent rabbis, the Justice Department failed to address the humanitarian and equitable concerns expressed by the rabbis when they came to Washington on January 26 and were denied a meeting with the Attorney General. In a letter dated March 2, the Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys acknowledged that Mr. Rubashkin had the “overwhelming support” of his community and “taken great pains to comply with the terms of his pretrial release,” but failed to explain why the federal prosecutors had demanded that he be jailed before sentencing. The letter stated, “We are sorry that we cannot be of further assistance.”
The Department of Justice letter was in response to a letter sent by rabbis from leading national Jewish organizations to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking that the Attorney General review the case. In the letter, the rabbis wrote “We are astounded that the federal prosecutors have been demanding that [Mr. Rubashkin] be incarcerated although he is demonstrably not a flight risk and imprisonment severely curtails his religious observance.”
“The Justice Department’s letter reveals that there is no legal or factual justification for Sholom Rubashkin’s imprisonment prior to his sentencing,” said Nathan Lewin, an attorney for Mr. Rubashkin. “Sholom Rubashkin is a very religious man who has proposed that he be imprisoned pending his sentencing under 24-hour armed guard at his home, where he can engage fully in religious observances. There is no basis in law and no reason to keep him in a local jail until he is sentenced in April.”
Mr. Rubashkin was convicted in federal court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, of bank fraud for falsifying invoices to make credit available from First Bank Business Capital in St. Louis and for failure to pay livestock providers in a timely manner.
While the district court has now found that Mr. Rubashkin poses a flight risk, the federal judge did agree to his release during the pre-trial period and noted “Mr. Rubashkin had taken great pains to comply with the terms of his pre-trial release.”
The court documents requesting Mr. Rubashkin’s release noted that he has lived in Postville, Iowa, for 18 years with his wife and his ten children, including one autistic teenager. His and his wife’s passport have been surrendered. His pre-trial release was secured with a $500,000 security bond and a GPS electronic monitor, and his supporters have pledged to subsidize 24-hour armed guards appointed by the court if he is to be released at this time. They have also offered $8 million in the equity of 43 homes as security.
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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19 Responses
Its probably for the same reason that after all these years, they wont release Jonathan Pollard. Mr. Rubashkin probably knows state secrets (like Obama’s real place of birth) and can not be allowed out for fear he will reveal them!
Or…
it could just be old-fashioned anti-semitism.
AinOhdMilvado, the reason why they won’t release Rubashkin is that he successfully resisted the union’s clumsy attempts to organize the workers at Agriprocessors. Rubashkin was correct in deying the union. However, we should again see the letter that the various members of Congress signed onto attacking Rubashkin. I know it is in the archives of this website. We should each and everyone take a copy of that letter to our polling places this November and vote the bums out!!!!
Have you even considered that what you are witnessing in this case is pretty much how the criminal justice system works in most cases? Have you stopped to inquire what if anything is really unusual here? Nah – that would be too simple . . . too intellectually honest . . . and wouldn’t support an agenda of perceived persecution.
There are important people in this country who do not want cheap kosher meat to be available to large numners of people.
Cheap kosher meat under cuts non-kosher meat for the same reason that milk without rBST hormones undercusts milk with hormones–people prefer a healthy product to a sick product.
Rubashkin imperiled the unionized treigf meat industry. His economical clean meats were available nationally in Wal-mart stores.
He also annoyed the Reform and Conservative “Rabbis,” who are pushing their own “HechSher Tzedek.”
And, of course, he annoyed the PETA animal rights crazies, who regard kosher slaughter as cruelty to animals, for reasons that, to me, are highly suspicious.
Rubashkin is not being treated any different than a goy who had done ALL OF THE SAME IDENTICAL THINGS. To cry anti-semitism is ignorant and childish. We as Jews are given so much freedom in the USA. So much freedom in fact, that we have the chutzpah to think we own the place and start breaking laws left right and center. I am pretty sure in prewar Europe the Yidden wouldn’t dare have the chutzpah to do the shtick we yidden do. Its only in America, where everyone is given so much freedom and so many rights that we feel safe enough to break laws without a cheshbon.
I am not qualified to pass judgement, I do not know what is usual or unusual in such cases. However the way Rubashkin is being treated does seem quite a bit harsh. He is certainly a better person than many who go scott free, even murderes, on technicalities. He is a model prisoner and very compliant, so I think it is antisemitism, plain and simple.
“Rubashkin is not being treated any different than a goy who had done ALL OF THE SAME IDENTICAL THINGS.” –(no. 5)
I’m afraid you are mistaken, and not very wellinformed.
The identical situation ocurred with a much larger Treif company just before the Rubashkin case, and the U.S. Attorneys negotiated a fine, without closing the plant and arresting the owners.
In fact, Rubashking hired the same lawyers to do the same negotiation for his company.
However, in his case, the U.S. Attorney refused to consider the same deal, and insisted on raiding the plant, destorying the business, and jailing Rubashkin.–A clear double standard.
WHY???
Kudo “well informed”. Unfortunately too many of our community respond with knee jerl anti semitism to every possible grievance suffered by a fellow yid. Rubashkin was tried and convicted on some pretty serious charges. His trial was fair and he had a qualified attorney acting for him. He is incarcerated because he was found guilty of fraud NOT because he is a Jew. Shame on those who say otherwise.
Who are “the nation’s most prominent rabbis” who visited Washington?
R’ Shmuel Kaminetzky?
R Ahron Schechter?
R Dovid Feinstein?
R Aharon Feldman?
R Matisyahu Soloman?
R’ Malkiel Kotler?
R’ Feigelstock?
What is it with people claiming anti-Semitism every time one of our own gets accused or convicted of a crime? It makes us look ridiculous. He’s incarcerated the same way anybody would be incarcerated under the circumstances, regardless of religion.
Let’s see. In the comments, there have been people blaming: anti-Semitism, unionization, Congress, people who want Kosher meat to be expensive, the Conservative and Reform movements, animal-rights groups…
Aren’t you guys forgetting the Girl Scouts of America, the people who listen to modern music, the toy industry, the media (that’s always a good one), anybody who was born between the months of June through August, and people who are allergic to peanuts?
DON’T mess with the unions and especially with this crooked president obamanation. He has seiu on his side along with acorn and the the chicago mafia.They did not want the union so the busted the owner. typical union thugs
Follow up to my post #10, now that #11 has weighed in:
Aren’t you guys forgetting the Girl Scouts of America, the people who listen to modern music, the toy industry, the media (that’s always a good one), anybody who was born between the months of June through August, and people who are allergic to peanuts…
AND Obama and the “Chicago Mafia.”
That may be my favorite so far! Of course, Bush (who was president when the investigation and charges happened) isn’t mentioned. Because that would be, um, crazy and paranoid, right?
#5 is absolutely correct. Rubashkin was selectively prosecuted. In fact, he was the absolutely only one ever CHARGED and PROSECUTED with employing illegal immigrants. After he was found guilty on bank fraud, the illegal immigrant employment charges were conveniently dropped. Oh, the bank fraud charges? They were routine exagerations that are employed in every day business dealings. Bank fraud you say? It sure wasn’t the bank that brought any charges. The bank? They are most willing to continue to do business with SMR!! Ever hear the expression that a jury can convict a ham sandwich? Well this time it was a kosher corned beef sandwich that was convicted. Using the criteria employed in the prosecution of SMR, 90% of all business owners should be in the slammer. Oh yes, he was charged with failing to pay for cattle within 24 hours of delivery. No one even remembers that such a law exists. No one was ever charged with such a high crime. The cattle providers did not even know about it. They considered SMR their absolute best customer. In fact, they don’t even care. They, too, would be glad to continue to do business with SMR.
So, good people. How can one explain all this? Surely, all this could never happen here in the United States of America where everyone is equal. Except, mabey, if you are a Chassidic Jew (Sholom Mordechai ben Rivka) in a place like Iowa.
# 9
“Who are “the nation’s most prominent rabbis” who visited Washington?”
The eminent Rabbis that you listed, sadly, did not go to Washington on behalf of SMR. The Rabbis that did go, Rabbi Dovid Zweibel, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum, Rabbi Aaron Raskin, Rabbi Aryeh Sokoloff, and Rabbi Aaron Lipskar must be honored for their effort. They went on behalf of a fellow Jew. Fow what they did on that day alone, they are indeed considered prominent here on Earth as well as in Heaven. May HaShem grant them success in all their endeavors on behalf of Klal Yisroel, including their work on behalf of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin.
Sickandtired, did you know that just about all unions are part of larger unions which in turn are part of still larger unions going up to the two nationwide umbrella unions over all others, which are the AFL-CIO and the Teasmsters?
Did you further know that when the President of the Teamsters in the 1980s (appox) went to jail for racketeering, said “You think by sending me to jail you got the Mafia out of the unions?
The next guy (they get to run the union), will be just as controlled as I was”.
As for the animal rights wackos, go look on any blog where someone is accused of abuse of animals
and see all the posts on that blog where they demand that person and their friends and family all be taken out and murdered in the streets.
Often they specifically say things like “We want no trials, just kill them, bash their brains against the wall, till they splatter all over it”.
You can try and make it look like these wackos are not wackos by trying to throw in Bush and the Girl Scouts, who no one before ‘you’, talked about.
But that does not change the fact that these groups hate business and the free market system.
And will do any underhanded thing to destroy it.
I just today heard of Rush Limbaughs show that the Unions are going to vigorously oppose anyone who does not support Obama Care which is deliberately designed to destroy the private uinsurance industry as well as the private hospital and health care, system.
And I have personally seen the anti Torah viciousness of the seculars in my own family where I was physically and mentally abused for not wanting to be a Torah hating secular, like them, so don’t try and convince me that the Reform and others are not antisemitic.
And the Animal rights types are as well.
In one case of a kid who was arrested in Florida a year or two ago, for supposedly killing 30 cats, his last name sounded Jewish and the next day all day, the nazilib Animal wackos were posting the families home address and phone number and demanding they be wiped out and slowly tortured to death.
And they specifically vilified ALL Jews, calling for another holocaust because they said “This is how Jews are” and that is an exact quote.
I just yeaterday saw on another blog animal wackos were attacking someone who supposedly pretended to kill a cat and he said nothing aboit religion but the nazilibs were calling him “dirty Jew” (actually what they said agaisnt Jews was much more filthy then that, but it could not be repeated here).
And I have seen this time and time again.
Animal “rights”, clearly = antisemitism.
They hide behind their fake “compassion” for animals so they can get away with expressing their true cruelty and true nature which is to be the cruel and vicious ones.
Hitler was the same way, he was abig dog lover and vegetarian while he ordered the extermination of Jews and pretended to be so “compassionate” when it came to animals.
Sickandtired, YonasonW., and moshe arieh; the the government accused and convicted Rubashkin because of bank fraud eventhough the bank is not claiming fraud. How can the government claim fraud when the bank is not?
The answer is that Rubashkin resisted the union and refused to allow Agriprocessors to be unionized. Especially to YonasonW., the next time your local union boss starts to get upset, remind him of that.
hereorthere, I don’t know why someone convicted of racketeering in the 80’s should matter, no matter what he said. We’ve had plenty of our rabbis arrested recently for all sorts of things, and I hope nobody holds it against innocent Jews who had no part of it.
I’ll trust that you’ll be mature and civilized and not attack me for this, but I was a member of a union. I was a freelancer and joined because most companies were signatories of my union. The one time I had contact with them was this: I was hired to do a job, a grueling one, for 10 hour days. When the job was completed, they refused to pay me. My union called and they sent me a check. Nobody’s knees were broken. I was just protected from someone who wanted to cheat me. Someone close to me (a frum Jew) is a Teamster, and has never had an inkling of anything shady from his union.
I know next-to-nothing about the attempts to unionize Aggriprocessors, what the union wanted, why the Rubashkins didn’t want them, etc. I’ll google and try to learn more. I don’t really know that you’ve shown any proof that the resistance to unionization led to his conviction. I’ve had some dealings (through work) with several companies that refused to unionize, and they weren’t accused of such acts as SR.
I guess the point of my message is to ask you respectfully not to union-bash. I know there aren’t many frum Yidden in Unions, but some that I know are, including teachers, lawyers and drivers. Whether or not you think Agri. should have been unionized doesn’t mean you should be able to point to all of them as being crooked. And let’s not care what was said by a criminal thirty years ago — we all know that some recent acts by some immoral rabbonim should never paint their worthwhile and important organizations with a negative brush. So let’s not do this to others.
I truly hope what I said won’t be used against me. I tried to be polite and respectful (and honest) and I hope for the same from people involved in this discussion.
Well Sickandtired this is already two pages back from the front so you will probably never see my response, but just in case;
#1 I always post respectfully (strongly advocating my POV is not the same as being disrespectful) as long as anyone talking to or about me is, also.
#2 You got sarcastic with all the throwing in of the Girl Scouts and similar stuff, so you should
be a bit more respectful if you want respect.
#3 I am happy you got yoru check from the employeer who would not pay you.
I have no love or support for any crooks not employeers or employees or anyone from the street who tries to run in and rob the place.
#4 The unions do not have to “break knees” to be corrupt.
The Teachers which you mentioned, is an excellent example.
They have tenured teachers who can’t be fired
eben though they are absolutely horrible at their jobs.
Randy Weingarten the Union leader never stops demaning more and more raises and benifits screaming poverty all the time when the fact is that for a part time job with 4 months off every year, some get up to $100,000 per year.
They start at something like $45,000 and it quickly goes up from there to something like $72,000 per year after 5 years.
meanwhile our taxes constantly go up and unlike the Teachers I get no medical or dental and am lucky if I get a week off, let alone 4 months.