Lawsuit Alleges Rubashkin Extortion, Racketeering, Other Crimes

Rubashkin workers have formed a class action lawsuit against Agriprocessors. Here's what the workers allege…

Slavery, Rubashkin style:

…The suit claims Sonia Parras Konrad, a Polk County attorney, interviewed over 50 detainees who told her Agriprocessors: procured false identification for its immigrant employees; withheld money from their paychecks for "immigration fees"; didn't allow employees to use the restroom during 10-hour shifts; didn't compensate employees for overtime; and were physically abused by supervisors.

The suit also has excerpts from an affidavit filed by David M. Hoagland, senior special agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in support of the search warrant issued on Agriprocessors. The alleged violations in the affidavit include:

— Equipment issued to perform work was substandard

— A floor supervisors duct-taped the eyes of a Guatemalan employee and then hit the employee with a meat hook

— Immigrants were paid $5 an hour and after three or four months, bumped up to $6.

The affidavit also contains numerous allegations of violations of the federal racketeering laws including:

— Employee's taxes were deducted and deposited into bank accounts belonging to an unknown person or people.

— An employee transported immigrant employees across state lines to Minnesota to get false state identification cards

— Checks were issued to certain immigrants with an unknown person's name on it and the check would be cashed at another portion of the plant

— A Department of Transportation investigator provided information that a supervisor at the company used an intricate and unlawful scheme to purchase and register a large number of car for resale to the employees and a supervisor forced the employees to buy the cars from him or be fired.…

If any of the bolded, italicized allegations are true, Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, Heshy Rubashkin and others will spend many years behind bars, and Aaron Rubashkin will spend his last years in prison.

[Hat Tip Stephen M.]

Comments

[John K. Diamond]

How about a 2nd Federal class action lawsuit against the OU Kashrut Administration for passing off non-kosher meat as kosher for who knows how many decades.

And they steal candy from babies and push old ladies in wheelchairs down long stone staircases.

[kosher and koncerned]

This matter is a CHILLUL HASHEM, due to all of the publicity. Tzedek Tzedek Teerdofe. Please OU, find new positions for your employees and evacuate them and yourselves from this situation. The sooner the better.

[michael ben drosai]

How about a 2nd Federal class action lawsuit against the OU Kashrut Administration for passing off non-kosher meat as kosher for who knows how many decades.

John - you're a vegetarian - where's your standing in that lawsuit (never mind that it's frivolous) it's like the pope talking about birth control and the locals saying "you no-a playa da game - you no-a maka da rules"

[michael ben drosai]

BTW what relevance would the allegations in the affidavit in the civil action have in a criminal proceeding - they're organically separate (and they might not even be actionable civilly) unless they sued under a RICO statute. Plus if the civil suit is settled before trial, there would be no "res judicata" effect anyway. Moreover, the facts that plaintiffs are pursuing civil remedies freqently (not always) makes prosecutors less inclined to prosecute

[Shmarya]

BTW what relevance would the allegations in the affidavit in the civil action have in a criminal proceeding

Look at the two criminal affidavits used in Monday's raid:

LINK.

[state of the Jews]

I believe there is another case here but we'll have to wait until the Feds follow the money trail which leads from Postville to Brooklyn and possibly through Monsey. The whole ICE raid may be part of an effort at misdirection while the Feds nail down the real case.

[steve]

Weissmandel and the OU cannot keep up this facade too long. Once the indictments are handed down and the evidence is presented, they will be hard pressed to find excuses for continuing the "hashgacha". Even with their paid shill Lubinsky and his propaganda magazine, they will realize that you can't fool all the people all the time. Even those fressers that remain in denial.

Shmarya, thank you for your tireless efforts this past week in keeping us informed of what's going on. Good Shabbos!