A federal informant who infiltrated an eastern Iowa meat plant five months before a massive immigration raid applied to work at the slaughterhouse but was twice rejected because of fake work papers, a top agent testified today.
The Cedar Rapids-based special agent was called to testify by lawyers for Sholom Rubashkin, the plant’s former vice president, who is on trial for 91 financial fraud charges.
The informant, “S.A. 007,” was hired on the third try after he or she presented legitimate documents which were provided by federal investigators, special agent Michael D. Fischels told a federal jury.
Fischels, an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was a lead investigator in the case that led to a May 2008 immigration raid at Agriprocessors, Inc. in Postville.
Fischels told jurors that the unnamed informant first applied to work at Agriprocessors on Nov. 8, 2007. The source – who, like many workers, was Hispanic – entered the plant wearing a hidden recorder and transmitter, Fischels said. Plant managers rejected the worker because his Social Security and resident alien cards were clearly fraudulent, Fischels said.
The information applied again on Dec. 11, 2007, and was once more rejected, Fischels said.
Agents then furnished the informant with legitimate documents from a forensic laboratory in Washington, D.C., Fischels said. The informant was hired, and provided authorities with information about happenings inside the plant, Fischels said.
Prosecutors noted on cross-examination that Elizabeth Billmeyer, the plant’s human resources manager, had spoken with investigators about illegal immigrants at the plant as far back as October 2007.
Rubashkin is charged with bank, mail and wire fraud, money laundering and ignoring an order to pay livestock providers in the time required by law. He has pleaded not guilty.
Defense lawyers also called state Sen. Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, who testified that he sold “several hundred thousand dollars worth” of cattle to the plant each year but did not interact directly with Rubashkin.
(Source: Des Moines Register)
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11 Responses
What happened to Rubashkin is absolutely outrageous and scandalous! I am hoping that the ICE finally, finally released their documents.
But, everyone from Rabbonim to the “Forward” to the OU condemned Rubashkin and I just think what was done to them was horrible. What is stopping the government from going after Alle Meatpacking for that matter?
Isn’t this entrapment…they tried twice to infiltrate with false documents, then they succeed, presumably because they used someone else’s papers? this seems more illegal than what Rubashkin is accused of.
But wait…it’s the Federal Government. And don’t we all know they are the biggest lying, thieving crooks around? But they get away with it BECAUSE they’re the government.
Yeh. and not only that. Are they going to get back the tons of money they lost because of this? Unfortunately I think someone or some group tried to get them knocked out and it seems they did a really good job.
This is what you call E-N-T-R-A-P-M-E-N-T
internally the OU is not condemming SR. thats all i could say here.
Kudos to Yated Neeman for covering the whole story and supporting Rubashkin tremendously.
The whole thing is a frightening reminder that , however secure we may feel, we’re still in Golus, and “Esav sonnei es Yaakov.”
The federal govt should stop trying to put obstacles in the pipeline of jewish food. Transparency means that the public should know exactly who in the fbi initiated this. Then we could possibly detect a pattern.
I’m not sure that it would be entrapment since the federal complaint is for hiring more than one illegal worker. The agent did not coerece the plant to hire anyone but himself. The good that comes from of all of this is that business owners are now asking themselves if they are conducting business within the legal limits of the law in order to avoid this type of problem.
“But wait…it’s the Federal Government. And don’t we all know they are the biggest lying, thieving crooks around? But they get away with it BECAUSE they’re the government.”
No they get away with it because we Americans won’t stand together and vote them out!!! IMO I think we need National Referendums. this way the politicians do not vote in what they want but we vote in what we want as the people.
# 5 Mark Levin.
I am sorry, but no one cares what the OU is doing “internally” its “externally” that matters and I believe that the OU along with others have failed not just Rubashkin (who is only a pawn in this)but all of us frum people. This was a battle vs shechita propped up by PETA with the help of the UNIONS from the get go.
Kol hakovod to the Yated and others who picked up on th a year ago.
rebshalom, the original charges against Rubashkin was money laundering. No one is saying that it makes sense. Of course not! It is starting to appear more and more every day like a modern day blood libel.