The federal court sentenced Sholom Rubashkin on Monday to 27 years in prison for his bank fraud conviction, which is greater than the amended recommendations from prosecutors, and is inconsistent with calls from throughout the legal community for him to be sentenced in a manner similar to other men and women convicted of white-collar crimes.
Show your support for Sholom Rubashkin by telling the Justice Department:
“This sentence is unfair.
This sentence is excessive.
This sentence is not in the public’s interest.”
Read the coverage in JTA: http://bit.ly/97fJqa.
Read the coverage in the New York Jewish Week: http://bit.ly/bJrghC.
“The way this case was handled may go down in history as a permanent stain on American justice,” said Nathan Lewin, an attorney overseeing Rubashkin’s appeal.
“Sholom Rubashkin has been targeted by prosecutors in Iowa from the very beginning, and has been treated unlike other similar defendants. We have asked, and continue to ask, the Justice Department to review the numerous instances of prosecutors stepping outside the bounds of standard and decent conduct in this case."
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR SHOLOM RUBASHKIN:
1. Read the coverage in JTA and in the New York Jewish Week.
2. Send a respectful e-mail to the Department of Justice Office of Intergovernmental and Public Liaison (oipl@usdoj.gov).
3. Tell them “This sentence is unfair. This sentence is excessive. This sentence is not in the public’s interest.”
4. Call on them to explain why Sholom Rubashkin has been targeted by prosecutors in Iowa and why he is getting 27 years in prison when others convicted of similar crimes have received significantly shorter sentences.
5. Remind them that more than two dozen former senior Justice Department officials – including six former U.S. attorneys general – said it would be an “absurdity” for a sentence of life in prison, or anything close to it, for a 51-year-old, first-time, non-violent offender.
6. Go on Facebook and Twitter and ask your friends to send an e-mail as well.
7. Forward this e-mail to family, friends and fellow supporters of Sholom Rubashkin.
Please note: It is inappropriate to send e-mails or other correspondence to the judge in this case or to the appellate court.
Please direct all e-mails to the Department of Justice Office of Intergovernmental and Public Liaison at oipl@usdoj.gov.
Please keep your comments respectful at all times.
Together, we can show prosecutors and the legal community that concerned citizens are watching the case of Sholom Rubashkin, and that he deserves “equal and fair administration of justice under the law.”
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