Trouble for Agriprocessors

Timeline created by KWWL

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Event Date:	Event Title:	Event Description:
03/20/2008	State files safety violations	The state of Iowa files nearly 30 safety violations against Agriprocessors.
05/12/2008	Postville raid	389 people arrested at Agriprocessors. At the time it was the largest immigration raid in U.S. history. Detainees were taken to the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo.
08/05/2008	Child labor violations filed	Iowa Department of Labor files 57 child labor violations against Agriprocessors.
08/20/2008	Rabbis walk out at Agriprocessors	About 50 rabbis in charge of supervising the kosher slaughtering at Agriprocessors walk over wage cuts. KWWL.com: Rabbis walk out at Agriprocessors
08/22/2008	More safety violations filed	Iowa Department of Labor files 35 additional safety violations.
08/29/2008	Search warrant executed	DCI executes search warrant at Agriprocessors plant in Postville.
09/09/2008	More child labor violations	Iowa Attorney General filed more than 9,000 child labor violations against the owner and managers at Agriprocessors. KWWL.com: 9,000 child labor violations filed against Agriprocessors
09/10/2008	Human resources workers arrested	Agriprocessors human resources workers Laura Althouse and Katrina Freund arrested.
10/14/2008	Cost of raid tops $5 million	Federal officials say the cost of the immigration raid at Agriprocessors tops $5 million. This figure does not include costs from the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Attorney's office in Cedar Rapids.
10/29/2008	Althouse pleads guilty; Agri fined for wage violations	Human resources worker Laura Althouse pleads guilty for her role in hiring and harboring illegal immigrants. Agriprocessors is fined nearly $10 million for wage violations including illegally deducting costs from paychecks. KWWL.com: Former worker pleads guilty KWWL.com: Agriprocessors fined $10 million
10/30/2008	Sholom Rubashkin arrested	Sholom Rubashkin, the owner's son and former manager, appears in federal court on charges of conspiring to harbor illegal immigrants and helping them find fake identification. KWWL.com: Former manager arrested, former worker speaks out KWWL.com: Read documents related to Rubashkin arrest
10/31/2008	Bank files suit against Agriprocessors	St. Louis bank files a suit against Agriprocessors, claiming the company defaulted on a $36 million loan. The suit could result in foreclosure of the company's assets. KWWL.com: Bank says Agriprocessor defaulted on loan
11/04/2008	Top executive at Agri says he's optimistic	CEO Bernard Feldman says he's in talks with investors and is optimistic they will buy a share in the company. KWWL.com: CEO confirms talks with investors
11/05/2008	Agriprocessors files for bankruptcy	Agriprocessors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy saying it owes $50-$100 million to creditors. KWWL.com: Agriprocessors files for bankruptcy
11/14/2008	Sholom Rubashkin arrested for bank fraud	Former Agriprocessors CEO Sholom Rubashkin is arrested again for bank fraud. A criminal complaint alleges he altered Agriprocessors books to borrow additional money and then ordered the evidence deleted from a computer after his previous arrest. KWWL.com: Rubashkin arrested for bank fraud
11/14/2008	USDA reports claims against Agri for unpaid bills	The USDA reports livestock and poultry producers file claims against Agriprocessors for unpaid bills totalling more than $3 million.
11/17/2008	Agriprocessors temporarily shuts down	Operations at Agriprocessors are temporarily shut down and pay day is delayed while decisions are made at a bankruptcy meeting in New York.
11/21/2008	New indictment issued against Agri, names new defendents	A federal grand jury issues an indictment against Agriprocessors and its managers. The charges range from conspiracy and harboring illegal immigrants to bank fraud. It names three new defendents: Brent Beebe, Hosam Amara and Zeev Levi.
11/25/2008	Postville City Council declare state of emergency	The Postville City Council declares a state of emergency.
12/04/2008	Agriprocessors re-opens	Agriprocessors re-opens in Postville after a bankruptcy court frees up emergency funds.
12/28/2008	Jews protest Rubashkin being denied bail	Dozens of Jews gather outside the jail where Sholom Rubashkin is held in Dubuque. Singing and chanting, they protest the fact he was denied bail, claiming discrimination. Prosecutors argued Rubashkin was a flight risk.
01/16/2009	Rubashkin named in a 99-count indictment	Sholom Rubashkin is named in a new 99-count federal indictment including charges of money laundering and violating an order from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
01/28/2009	Rubashkin released from jail	Sholom Rubashkin is released from jail until his trial after paying $500,000 bond.
03/03/2009	Nevel Properties files for bankruptcy	Nevel Properties, a rental property company owned by the Rubashkins, files for bankruptcy. The company began to have problems back in November when utilities were shut off to area homes because the company was behind on bills.
03/05/2009	Iowa approves stricter penalties for child labor violations	In the wake of alleged labor violations at Agriprocessors, a state legislative committee unanimously approves stricter penalties for such violations.
03/05/2009	Martin de la Rosa-Loera sentences to two years	After entering a guilty plea in agreement wih the prosecution, Martin de la Rosa-Loera is sentenced to nearly two years in a federal prison for harboring illegal immigrants.
03/20/2009	Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza sentenced to 3 years	After pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to hire illegal immigrants and one count of aiding and abetting the hiring of illegal immigrants, Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza was sentenced to three years in federal prison.
03/24/2009	Agriprocessors goes to the auction block	Companies present bids to buy Agriprocessors in a closed auction. But offers of $15 million dollars are half of what creditors had hoped for.
04/03/2009	Rubashkin enters not guilty plea	After a 79-count indictment is filed, Sholom Rubashkin enters a not guilty plea. The new indictment consolidates many of the charges and replaces a 99-count indictment.
05/07/2009	Rubashkin seeks to dismiss charges following Supreme Court decision	Sholom Rubashkin seeks to dismiss identity theft charges against him following a Supreme Court ruling saying undocumented workers who use phony identification can't be considered identity thieves unless they know they are using ID numbers from real people.
05/12/2009	Postville remembers the raids	The city of Postville commemorates the one year anniversary of the raid at Agriprocessors with a parade to celebrate Lag Ba'Omer (a Jewish holiday), a prayer vigil and a solidarity walk.