(JTA) — A former supervisor of the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant in Iowa was arrested in Israel.
Hosam Amara, 46, was indicted in 2009 on federal charges of fraud and immigration abuses. He is accused of some of the worst worker abuses at the now defunct plant in Postville, according to the Des Moines Register. In 2008, the plant was the site of what at the time was the largest immigration enforcement action in American history.
Extradition proceedings against Amara will begin in Israel on May 2, according to the newspaper.
Amara, who was arrested March 31 and remains jailed, is charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens for profit; 24 counts of harboring and aiding and abetting the harboring of undocumented aliens for profit; one count of conspiracy to commit document fraud; and one count of aiding and abetting document fraud.
He faces up to 260 years in prison and $6.75 million in fines if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Agriprocessors executive Sholom Rubashkin was convicted in 2009 on 86 counts of fraud related to his management of the plant and later sentenced to 27 years in federal prison. He remains in prison while his case is under appeal.
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