By JusticeforSholom.org
American Jewish leaders are expressing shock and outrage at the federal government’s recommendation that Sholom Rubashkin be sentenced to life in prison for his role as an executive with the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa.
It is the latest example of a prosecution that has repeatedly targeted Rubashkin for unfair treatment compared to others who have been accused of employing illegal immigrants or compromising the security of a bank loan.
Supporters of Sholom Rubashkin are being urged to sign an online petition at the “Justice for Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin” Web page at JusticeforSholom.org and call or e-mail Department of Justice Office of Intergovernmental and Public Liaison (202-514-3465 ; [email protected] and cc [email protected]), to protest the recommendations of life in prison for Sholom Rubashkin.
Those interested in assisting the “Equal Justice for Sholom Rubashkin” campaign, or in receiving call to action alerts should e-mail their contact info to [email protected], or text message ICARE to 347-948-JUST (5878).
Jewish rabbinic leaders have signed a proclamation, urging their Jewish brethren to contact the Justice Department on Rubashkin’s behalf, calling it a “sacred obligation of every individual to participate in this mitzvah.”
The sentencing recommendation submitted by prosecutors to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa is inconsistent with sentencing of other corporate executives convicted in comparable cases. For example, Mark Turkcan, an official First Bank, was recently convicted of bank fraud involving a loss of approximately $35 million, and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. And Cathy Gieseker was sentenced to nine years in prison for bilking 179 farmers out of more than $27 million. Her motive, unlike Rubashkin and Turkcan, was greed.
Rubashkin was originally indicted for employing illegal immigrants, an offense that has been punished with probation or a short prison term. After seven superseding indictments, prosecutors chose to proceed to trial on alleged bank fraud charges in an effort to increase Rubashkin’s punishment, even though interest was paid on all of the money drawn by the loan and the bank has acknowledged it received approximately $21 million in profit from the interest payments.
The bank loan was not paid in full because of the government’s raid on Agriprocessors, which caused the company to declare bankruptcy. The bank “called” the loan when Agriprocessors could not continue to make its payments. The May 2008 raid included a military style raid and more than 600 federal agents. It was widely criticized for the extreme tactics utilized by prosecutors and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The raid destroyed the company and had disastrous lasting effects on the community of Postville and the kosher meat industry.
Prosecutors and the U.S. Probation Office have calculated the total offense committed by Rubashkin at level 45 under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Because the federal Sentencing Table caps at level 43, the Probation Office has calculated the total offense at level 43. An offense level of 43 is punished with a life sentence under the sentencing guidelines, which the Supreme Court held as no longer mandatory.
Rubashkin’s attorneys have asked the court to impose a sentence no greater than 72 months, noting his positive history and character, his extraordinary family circumstances, and the arbitrary nature of the now-advisory guidelines used by prosecutors. They emphasize that Rubashkin’s conduct was not done for personal gain, that he did not intend any loss to the bank, and that a 72-month sentence would allow the Bureau of Prisons to place Rubashkin in a facility with experience in effectively and humanely incarcerating observant Jewish inmates.
In Rubashkin’s bank-fraud trial, prosecutors were allowed to present inflammatory evidence regarding the employment of illegal workers, even though the judge had previously ruled that such evidence would prejudice the jury and had severed the immigration and bank fraud charges for that reason. The charges regarding harboring illegal immigrants were eventually dropped.
Rubashkin supporters argue that prosecutors have subjected Rubashkin to more severe restrictions and potential punishment than other employers whose work premises were raided by ICE and who were found to have hired larger numbers of illegal workers.
The country’s largest meatpacker, Swift & Company, was raided in six different states in December 2006, and almost 1,300 illegal immigrants were arrested. No corporate official of Swift & Company has been prosecuted.
RCI, International, a restaurant janitorial service operating in 17 states, was raided in 63 locations in February 2007. Its owners, who paid their employees (all illegal immigrants) in cash, were found to have defrauded the United States of more than $18 million in taxes. Its chief operating officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The owner of a Massachusetts manufacturer of leather goods and handbags raided by ICE in March 2007, when 326 illegal immigrants were arrested, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.
PLEASE PLEASE!
lets gather the maximum amount of people outside the white house !and shout:FREE THE INNOCENT.lets not move till we succeed.
lets organise people to say tehillim non stop.
lets say tehillim in shuls non stop till we hear good news.
what are waiting?
lets gather together the children like Mordechai Hatzadik
anu lo zozim ad sheyerachem… we must do a daily demonstration at the prison for our brother sholom untill a yeshua comes… where are all who benefitted from his tzedokos?????
GO SIGN THE PETITION RIGHT NOW HE IS A FELLOW MEMBER OF AM YISRAEL DONT HE CARE ABOUT HIM?
enough
is enough
it’s time to say goodbye!!!
(avraham fried goodbye golus, 1984-or soemtime around then-)
evry1 here is crying and saying “we need moshiach” do somthing” but is wating for evry1els to do it!!!! you should start itand then people will help you do it you just have to makethe first step!!!!! put up posters in crown hights an in the ohel to organize a demonstration by the white house!!!!!! and to the shluchim who have conections in the white house START PULLING THE STRINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO SOMTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m starting a new movement PETH- people for ethical treatment of HUMANS!
we need moshiachnow
The Rabbonim should go like menchen, write or make an appointment with the President of U.S.A. he seems to be a man who has compasion, and make him aware what is going on. Hashem is the ullitment judge(Esther Hamalka went to King Achavarouse)
postin ga comment wont do anything email coll put it as a article spread the word through a email email the sluchim in washigton to see if its a possibility dont just post a simple comment LETS DO SOMETHING!
Today’s Tanya was Chapter 43.
Yidden wake up!!!! we must do something!!!!
immediately organize a march to washington!!!!!!
organizations like ALEPH must immediately do something!!!!!
i will go to washing or anywhere else i am asked to go!!!!!!
just please….we must do something right now.
WE MUST MAKE OURSELVES HEARD!!!!!!!NOW!!!!!!
we are not letting this happen…WE MUST DO SOMETHING!!!(besides for saying tehillim all day)
# 8 You are 1000% right! where are the Lubavitchers that have pull in the white house? We must use every possible avenue, Why are we not setting up protests every week in Washington. Yhe President and the Senate need to hear what a “TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE” is going on in their very own backyard! We Jews have alot of STRENGTH and CAPABILITIES> Dont underestimate the power of all the news channels zooming in on this situation. Protest in front of the White House will surley get a response from the people in the Highter Offices of Washington! A Federal… Read more »
he was always a bal chesed and made every jew feel very special that judge will be snteced by hashem so she should watch out ad mosaiiiiii we need moshiach
Yimach Shmam for what they do to this Yid Amen
For once let’s get all together and march show that jews have a unified voice and save this Chossid B”H
I called the number to express outrage about this & the machine said it is full.
Nat Lewin – the Rubaskhin lawyer said that the only thing that we do besides daven, is to make a public outcry. There is a PR firm who will lead this public outcry and will send instructions each day until the hearing. YOU CAN HELP ( YES !, if you are reading this , please help) ( We know everyone has helped in the past, please help us one more time, each day for the next 14 days). There will be a call to action each day ( please mark your calendars each day to dedciate 5 minutes to help… Read more »
So whats next ppl. The entire jewish comunity needs to wake up! this is no diffrent to what jews went through in the beggining of Natzi Germany! This whole thing is a sham, they just want to put an inocent man in prison so that the message be sent ” we don’t want jews in our state or country”. Why are we not marching in washington! we have to fight for our rights and show that this judge Reed is an anti semite! Wake up!! lets all do something/ all of us not just Rabbis and leaders but us the… Read more »
the judge should remember that one day she will also be judged. likewise with the prosecution.
MOSHIACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE NEED HIM RIGHT NOW, WE CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER!!!! AD MOSAI!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Everyone must speak up. Call and email the numbers in the article! Pikuach nefesh MAMASH
it cant be right
Rabbis & Leaders
Don’t wait till the process is too far along before speaking out…now’s the time!
justiceforsholom.org GO AND SIGN THE PETITION!!!
Yesterday, a “Rabbi” was convicted of molesting a child. He only got 32 years.
What is going to be done about this judge?