Thread: 220 from Swift face ID theft charges

220 from Swift face ID theft charges
Article Last Updated: 01/05/2007 01:57:54 PM MST


Federal agents raided the Swift meat packing plant in Greeley on Dec. 13, 2006, driving off with at least four bus loads of workers who they believed were illegal immigrants.

Greeley - About 220 meat-processing workers who were detained in immigration raids last month face criminal charges including identity theft, federal officials said today.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had initially announced criminal charges for only 65 of the 1,282 Swift & Co.

employees rounded up in the raid. All 1,282 face immigration charges, which are administrative rather than criminal.

Neither Swift & Co. nor any current or former manager faces charges, Swift CEO Sam Rovit said today.

ICE spokesman Tim Counts said the investigation is continuing.

Swift said Thursday that the Dec. 12 raids at the six plants could cost the company up to $30 million as it tries to replace lost workers and get the plants back up to pre-raid production levels. The plants represent all of its domestic beef processing capacity and three-quarters of its pork processing capacity.

The raids were at Swift plants in Greeley; Grand Island, Neb.; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.

Swift, based in Greeley, has more than $9 billion in annual sales and describes itself as the world's second-largest processor of fresh beef and pork products.


http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4957656

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.as ... ntid=95840

Criminal Charges Mount After Immigration Raids At Meat Co
1/6/2007

GREELEY, Colo. (AP)--About 220 of the nearly 1,300 Swift & Co. employees detained during immigration raids in six states last month face identity theft or other criminal charges, immigration officials said Friday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had initially said 65 of the 1,282 employees rounded up on Dec. 12 faced criminal charges.

Immigration charges are considered administrative, rather than criminal. The plants that were raided were in Greeley Grand Island, Neb. Cactus, Texas Hyrum, Utah Marshalltown, Iowa and Worthington, Minn., representing all of Swift’s domestic beef processing capacity and 77% of its pork processing capacity.

Fifteen of those arrested in Grand Island already have been indicted, mostly on charges related to the false IDs. Interim U.S. Attorney Joe Stecher in Omaha, Neb., said his office expects more indictments soon.

“There’s been 11 more that we have filed criminal complaints on, and their cases will be presented to the grand jury for indictment consideration later this month,“ he said Friday. Nine of them will likely face aggravated identifity theft charges, he said, and eight probably will face charges of using false statements to secure employment.

Three of the 11 also will face charges of Social Security fraud. “They were all using false documents for employment purposes,“ Stecher said.

Neither Swift & Co. nor any current or former management officials face charges, Swift Chief Executive Sam Rovit said Friday.

ICE spokesman Tim Counts said the investigation was still under way. Swift said Thursday the raids, which halted operations at the plants for six to seven hours, could cost the company up to $30 million in its current fiscal year as it tries to replace lost workers.

While all six plants resumed operations the same day of the arrests, none are back to pre-raid production levels. Swift has not said when operations might be back to full speed or how much operations have been reduced.

Swift spokesman Sean McHugh said the company was not disclosing its production levels for competitive reasons. Swift, with more than $9 billion in annual sales, describes itself as the world’s second-largest processor of fresh beef and pork products.

Something stinks here.

Some big wig at Swift had said about 40% of their workers were probably illegal.

Then ICE only takes 1300 and end up charging 220 of them.

What's wrong with this picture?