IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Attorneys for imprisoned former kosher meatpacking executive Sholom Rubashkin say they've discovered "overwhelming evidence" of prosecutorial misconduct that proves his 27-year prison sentence for money laundering was too long.
Rubashkin's attorneys filed newly-discovered notes from a 2008 meeting and affidavits Monday alleging federal prosecutors improperly interfered with the sale of Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa, which was the nation's biggest kosher meat plant.
They say prosecutors warned bidders that they'd use forfeiture proceedings to seize company assets if Rubashkin's father, Aaron, or other relatives had any role operating the plant. The government denied this at Rubashkin's 2009 sentencing.
Rubashkin's defense argues the prosecutors' threats depressed the sale price by tens of millions of dollars. That meant the company's bank suffered a $27 million loss, which was used to calculate Rubashkin's sentence.
