Agriprocessors Fugitive Appeals Extradition To High Court

Hosam Amara, an Israel-born Arab who served as a senior manager at Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, fled to Israel with the help of Agriprocessors VP Sholom Rubashkin in 2008. Amara has now appealed his extradition to Iowa to Israel's High Court.

Hosam Amara

Former Agriprocessors manager has appealed his extradition from Israel
Trish Mehaffey • SourceMedia Group News

CEDAR RAPIDS – A former Agriprocessors manager who fled to Israel after being charged for harboring illegal workers was set to be extradited back to Iowa nearly a year ago but he never came back, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan said Wednesday Hosam Amara, 47, is fighting extradition and has made an appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court. His return is unknown until the court makes its ruling, he said.

Authorities located Amara and arrested him March 31, 2011 on the request for extradition issued in 2009 in connection with federal charges pending in Cedar Rapids, according to court records.

Amara was first indicted Nov. 20, 2008 on charges stemming from the May 2008 immigration raid at the Postville meatpacking plant. Amara is charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor undocumented workers for profit, 24 counts of harboring and aiding abetting the harboring of undocumented worker for profit, one count of conspiracy to commit document fraud, and one count of aiding and abetting document fraud.

Amara and Zeev Levi, another Agriprocessors manager who also fled to Israel after being charged, are the last two cases to be resolved in connection with the immigration raid where 389 illegal workers were charged. Levi remains a fugitive.

According to the indictment, Amara and Levi allegedly had knowledge of illegal workers and their fake documents for employment, and helped them obtained the documents.

If convicted of all charges, Amara faces up to 260 years in prison and a $6.7 million fine.

A jury in November 2009 convicted former vice president Sholom Rubashkin, 52, of 86 counts of bank, mail and wire fraud, money laundering and failure to pay livestock providers in a timely manner.

There were several supervisors, managers and employees charged and convicted in this case.

Comments

[Isa]

You can bet your bottom buck that the real target is Rubashkin.

Get this guy to testify against ol'Rubi [in exchange for a lenient sentence]

Maybe Amara knows enough dirt to put the rest of the slave plantation gang away

This is what one gets for screaming anti-semitism at fair minded people!

[Office of the Chief Rabbi, Division for Ishmaelite Affairs]

Perhaps if Iowa won't guarantee him halal food, the Israelis could find reason not to extradite him.

[A. Nuran]

I'm guessing a couple "flight to avoid prosecution" and "conspiracy to" charges will get ladelled on as well.

Yeah, the real targets are the rest of the higher ups, the Rubashkin family and other officers of the corporation. Remember those immigration charges the prosecutor held off on? He's the one with the evidence.

[ruthie]

something fishy here that's not being said.
just sayin'
these rubashkins really went the extra mile for their crimes. wow wow wow

[FormerPostvillian]

I disagree with you guys that think the "real target" is Rubashkin. How much more can they do to him?

He's yesterday's news.

Amara was the biggest criminal in Postville by far, I'm surprised there are no sexual charges against him.

Regardless he was the big fish and I hope him and Rubashkin share the same cell in the end, they deserve each others company.

[state of disgust]

Lets see --
Flight to avoid arrest, sexual assault, fraud, illegal running a used car company, forcing employees to but a car in order to get a job (blackmail?), forcing employees to buy a second car after they've paid for the first as a condition of continued employment, aiding and abetting illegal immigration, physical assault (or maybe that was his brother, Mohammed) ... the list goes on and on.
Amara was hired by Aron (not Shalom). This links Aron into an active role in the management of the company. He also was present when Heshy participated in management decisions. The whole family could be implicated in a conspiracy to defraud the bank.
Another pidyon Shvuim opportunity for Chabad!

[Freedom]

Feel sorry for them and their families

[Emanuel]

@Isa,

You can bet your bottom buck that the real target is Rubashkin.

For what? Are you watching too many episodes of Law and Order?

Rubashkin was already sentenced and is in jail, his case is over. He is in an uphill appeal to the SCOTUS.

[Emanuel]

@Isa,

You can bet your bottom buck that the real target is Rubashkin.

For what? Are you watching too many episodes of Law and Order?

Rubashkin was already sentenced and is in jail, his case is over. He is in an uphill appeal to the SCOTUS.

[Hometown Postville]

The U.S. would not have pursued extradition unless there was something substantial enough to bring down an empire! This is a last resort. Perhaps a tie-in to Crown Heights and Aron. Pray for justice!