Tayereh Yidden: Tefillos Needed for Shalom Mordechai Halevi ben Rivkah as Rubashkin Trial is in Jury’s Hands

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rubashkin1Lawyers in the trial of Reb Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin closed their cases today. Prosecutors continued their unsubstantiated assault, painting Reb Shalom Mordechai as the head of a fraud and immigrant-harboring scheme. Defense lawyers countered that the charges stemmed from over zealous and heavy-handed prosecutors, who failed to prove the allegations whatsoever.

A seven-woman, five-man jury must now decide whether the former Agriprocessors, Inc. vice president is guilty of 91 federal fraud crimes. Jurors received the case this afternoon.

The allegations against Reb Shalom Mordechai came about five months after federal immigration agents raided Agriprocessors and arrested 389 illegal workers – unprecedented on US soil . The plant sought bankruptcy protection several months after the May 2008 raid, and now runs under new ownership as Agri Star, owned by Mr. Hershey Friedman of Montreal.

Reb Shalom Mordechai’s lawyer Guy Cook repeated the defense team’s assertions that Reb Shalom Mordechai did not oversee financial decisions. He said Reb Shalom Mordechai’s alleged behavior did not constitute fraud, because the plant’s lender continued to send money despite repeated violations of their loan agreement. Bank officials acknowledged during trial that they collected at least $13.5 million in interest payments from the asset-based loan, which is riskier than most traditional business loans. So the bank benefitted – and had no problem – with the arrangement.

Defense lawyers said that bank officials, as a result, did not care about the plant’s business practices. Prosecutors made the false claim that the bank stopped lending to Agriprocessors as soon as they learned about the alleged fraud.

Cook said his client was an inexperienced businessman who tackled too much. He held up the plant’s loan contract with the plant, which looked to be at least 100 pages, and reminded jurors that Reb Shalom Mordechai never read it.

Cook also showed jurors a Power Point slide of Rubashkin with his wife and their 10 children.

“Would he put these people at risk?” Cook asked. “Does he have the criminal intent that the government assigns him?”

The jurors listened silently, their hands in their laps, as the attorneys closed their cases. Aaron Rubashkin, the plant’s founder and family patriarch, sat in the back of the courtroom.

Reb Shalom Mordechai faces a maximum 1,280-year prison sentence if convicted of all the financial fraud charges. He also is expected to face 72 federal immigration charges at a second trial in December.

Please continue to daven for Shalom Mordechai Halevi ben Rivkah.

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{Des Moines Register/Matzav.com Newscenter}


5 COMMENTS

  1. This is the only jewish website that is Pro SMR, for exemple yesterday a article was put out regarding his loyel supporters that came all the way to south dekota with the headlines reading “Rubashkin draws a loyal following” but that one website decided to change the headline and wrote first that “Judge Gets Irritated By Behavior In Court Room, As Rubashkin Draws a Loyal Following”, totally changing around the positive tio the negetive.
    go matzav.com

  2. One correction, to the title. The trial is not in the hands of the jury, but rather in our hands. Daven, daven, daven! Do one thing extra in zchus that this come out well!May we hear Besuros Tovos quickly!

    special thanks to Matzav.com for the updates!

  3. Someone who’s at the trial needs to say “amtalai bat karnivoh.” 17x .(mother of Abraham avinue). It’s a known sefardie sigulah to use in court; I’ve used it, and believe me it works!!!

  4. Who would read a hundred page loan contract? I’d just go ahead and sign it myself, the bank doesnt care. Half of the pages are blank, white on one side.

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