Moshe Rubashkin Files Appeal

By Andy Piper, Telegraph Herald

Moshe Rubashkin, the brother of jailed Agriprocessor’s CEO Sholom Rubashkin, filed an appeal Thursday of a 16-month prison sentence in connection with hazardous waste illegally stored at a textile factory in Pennsylvania.

In February, Moshe Rubashkin, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty to one charge of illegal storage of hazardous waste without a permit.

His son, also named Sholom, pleaded guilty to one count of making a materially false statement, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia.

The convictions stem from the ownership of Montex Textiles, a factory that bleached, dyed and weaved fabric in Allentown, Pa. After closing in 2002, two fires broke out at the site, and officials discovered hazardous waste that spurred a costly cleanup of the property initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Moshe Rubashkin was sentenced to 16 months in prison, and he and his son were ordered to pay $450,000 in restitution, as part of the plea agreement.

A U.S. District Court Judge granted an extension of time before Moshe Rubashkin is required to report to federal authorities to begin his sentence.

He is scheduled to begin his sentence on Feb. 16. His attorney filed an appeal of the judgment Thursday.