Thread: IA-Ex-worker at Iowa plant withdraws ID theft plea

Ex-worker at Iowa plant withdraws ID theft plea
By MICHAEL J. CRUMB – 16 hours ago

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Defense attorneys for employees at a kosher slaughterhouse accused of helping undocumented workers commit identity theft are trying to get some of the charges dismissed because of a new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court ruled Monday that undocumented workers who use phony identification can't be considered identity thieves unless they knew they were using ID numbers from real people. Some officials at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, where hundreds of illegal immigrants were arrested in a raid last year, face identity theft counts.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Linda Reade allowed former human resources employee Laura Althouse to drop the guilty plea to identity theft she made in October. She still faces sentencing May 13 on a charge of conspiracy to harbor undocumented immigrants for financial gain.

Former Agriprocessors vice president Sholom Rubashkin also faces identity theft-related charges and has pleaded not guilty. His attorney Guy Cook said he will file "very soon" a motion to dismiss some of the counts against his client based on the Supreme Court ruling.

The high court's decision limits federal authorities' use of a 2004 law designed to get tough on identity thieves.

Authorities charged 270 illegal immigrants with identity theft following the raid at the Postville plant on May 12, 2008. They all accepted plea deals in which they agreed not to fight deportation.

U.S. attorney spokesman Bob Teig indicated that the undocumented workers' plea deals will not be affected because none of them ended up pleading guilty to identity theft.

"At the time those charges were filed, that was the law," Teig said. He said at that point at least three courts had ruled that "you didn't have to show that the person knew the numbers belonged to a real person."

Althouse's attorney Ward Rouse said Reade's ruling effectively dismissed the identity theft charge against her, but Teig disagreed, saying the charge will remain until action is taken by the government. He said he would not speculate on what action might be taken.

Teig declined to comment on Rubashkin's case or those against two other workers who face identity theft-related charges. Brent Beebe and Hosam Amara are charged with aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft.

A telephone message left Tuesday for Beebe's attorney, Raphael Scheetz, was not immediately returned; his client has pleaded not guilty. Amara is still being sought by federal authorities.

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accused of helping undocumented workers commit identity theft

U.S. District Court Judge Linda Reade allowed former human resources employee Laura Althouse to drop the guilty plea to identity theft she made in October. She still faces sentencing May 13 on a charge of conspiracy to harbor undocumented immigrants for financial gain.

I would think that she could be charged with conspiracy to commit identity theft!