By GRANT SCHULTE, The Des Moines Register
The judge who presided over Sholom Rubashkin’s fraud trial did nothing improper when she met with federal agents before the massive 2008 immigration raid at Agriprocessors Inc., prosecutors argued Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Linda Reade was only told about a planned raid that would involve hundreds of illegal immigrant arrests, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan Jr. wrote in court papers.
The chief federal judge for Iowa’s northern district was not privy to where the raid would take place, who would be targeted or other details before the raid was under way, Deegan wrote.
The federal court filing came in response to defense claims that Reade did not disclose all of her conversations before the May 2008 raid.
Rubashkin’s attorneys have asked for a new trial on grounds that Reade took an improper role in helping plan the raid.
Rubashkin was sentenced to 27 years in prison in June for his leadership in a massive financial fraud scheme at Agriprocessors Inc.
A jury convicted Rubashkin of 86 fraud-related charges in November. Nearly 400 illegal immigrants were arrested at the Postville plant during the raid.
Reade has said she had limited “logistical cooperation” with law enforcement in advance, to ensure that the detained immigrants were given attorneys and interpreters.
The massive raid also required her to move the immigrant hearings to the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo because of the number of arrests.
“In order to plan for hundreds of criminal prosecutions, the Court needed to be contacted at the earliest opportunity to determine whether the Court could handle so many prosecutions at once and, if so, when,” Deegan Jr. wrote.
“The Court needed several months to plan for its role in the operation. There is nothing about the timing of the notification to suggest anything nefarious.”
Defense lawyers say Reade participated in a series of meetings with immigration agents and prosecutors that went beyond that limited role.
Reade has said she does not comment on pending cases.
Deegan said statements attributed to Reade about her “support” for the operation were taken out of context. Even if she had known that Agriprocessors was the target, he said, the allegations still would not lead a reasonable person to question her impartiality.
He noted that the prosecutions immediately after the raid focused on the plant workers and not the management.
The plant later filed for bankruptcy, and has since emerged under new ownership as Agri Star.
So in the past there was some comments about how the case should be taken to the press ,so that the hole world would get to kknow about it,and not only the frume people. So if anyone out there can do it – by making it get into a big news paper or tv program in the U.S., or even in Europe , or how about in israel , i m a bit of a batlen in these things , some of the comments posted sounded very very professional ,maybe they can be the good angels to help and bring… Read more »
In the great ‘Oil salad scandal”, the prison term given was only 7 years fo massive fraud for personal gain.
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/saladoilscandal.asp
guys – EVEN if you takeh believe that Nat Lewin is no one (which I totally disagree with – he’s been working REALLY hard with & for the Rubashkin family) don’t we all know it’s all in the hands of the Ribono Shel Olam? Nat is a keli to help bring down the yeshua just as a Dr is not the Rofeh but the keli for a refuah….. Let’s concentrate on what is needed – financial aid, achdus, tefilos….. let Hashem just send down the yeshuah faster then planned!!!
Surely the fact that the judge knew about and was involved in the raid BEFORE the trial, however minimally, disqualifies her as a judge in this case.
I’m uncertain about the accuracy of your title.
All people whom think they know nat lewin can do so. but your dead rong.
Just wait and see.
Of course the prosecutors are defending the judge. That’s how the system works. There is nothing newsworthy in that point.
Machashayfa Loy Ticyah
The worst thing that ever happened to Sholom Mordechai was hiring Nat Lewin as his legal counsel.
unfortanately that the power point presentation was presented to the judge
What did you expect?
Personally Nat Lewis sees a lot of $$$ in the CHareidishe COmmunity for this cause and tries to stir up the crowd with fancy press releases but actually he is just milking us.
He and his daughter work alone and dont have the big fancy firm in WA that used to back him up… with technical support its a pop and daughter team…
I think they should have gotten better lawyers..
From all the paper work that was released under the Freedom of information act most highly redacted (not released by the gov’t).
The Prosecution says that Judge Reade did not know the intended target, when ICE power point presentations from March 2007 show Mr Rubashkin as the main defendant.
It also shows a discussion regarding theories of charging defendants. Since when does the Judge coach the Prosecution about charging theories.
Wait till defense forces a total document release (not just bits and pieces, I am sure it will be shocking.
This makes the allegations all the more suspicious!