Rubashkin Begs Court to Free Him on Bail Saying he will have 24 Hour Armed Guards so he Doesn't Flee

Postville, Iowa: Shalom Rubashkin, former top executive at Agriprocessors Inc. is willing to hire armed, 24-hour security guards or install cameras around his house if a federal magistrate agrees to release him from jail, his new lawyer said Friday. The proposal would allow Sholom Rubashkin to return to his home in Postville, but with additional safeguards to ensure that the 49-year-old cannot flee the country, according to records filed in U.S. District Court. Rubashkin would hire Global Security Services at his own expense to monitor him, and would sign any extradition waiver offered by prosecutors. Guards from the Davenport security firm would not let him leave his house unattended, and would be given the authority to arrest him at gunpoint if needed. Lawyers for the former slaughterhouse manager have argued that Rubashkin is a devoted family man and Orthodox Rabbi who would not abandon his 10 children or his supporters by skipping the country. Prosecutors argued successfully last month that Rubashkin might flee to Israel if he is released on bond. "We don't think he's a flight risk," said Guy Cook, a Des Moines lawyer who joined Rubashkin's defense team Friday. "He's not a coward. He wants to tell his side of the story. But to the extent that the judge has determined him to be a flight risk, we wanted to offer these new conditions." Cook said hiring the security firm is "an expensive ordeal," but would not disclose the exact cost. Rubashkin's friends in the Jewish community have agreed to pay for the extra security, Cook said. In a letter to U.S. Magistrate Jon Scoles, the head of Global Security Services offered to guard Rubashkin with armed officers or through a sophisticated camera system monitored from Davenport. "We would ensure that Mr. Rubashkin is unable to leave the court's jurisdiction," wrote Brad Utter, the company's president. "We understand that the government has claimed that Mr. Rubashkin also proposes a risk of evidence tampering. Our services would prevent any such misconduct as well." Rubashkin's lawyers also disputed prosecutor claims that he was a flight risk. Scoles decided to keep Rubashkin in jail after authorities discovered a travel bag in his bedroom closet with children's passports and thousands of dollars in cash. The court filing asking Scoles to reconsider his ruling also accused prosecutors of "disparaging the efficacy" of the extradition treaty with Israel," by suggesting that Israel would not return Rubashkin to the United States if he fled. Cook said Rubashkin has spent much of his jail time meditating and tending to his faith. His family has visited several times, Cook said, but Rubashkin was upset by the separation from his wife and his children, including a 15-year-old autistic son.
Bob Teig, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Cedar Rapids, said he had not seen the court filing.