After an Iowa jury found the founder of Midamar Corp. guilty of a scheme to falsify documents behind certain Halal beef shipments several years ago, others involved “plead out.” But Midamar and Jalel Aossey, who had to step down as head of the closely-held family corporation, are asking the U.S.
Continue Reading A question of the Secretary of Agriculture’s jurisdiction
Federal judge sentences Halal beef schemer to 2 years
Another long-time food company executive is headed to federal prison. 
William B. Aossey Jr., the founder and long-time chief executive of Iowa’s Midamar Corp., was sentenced today to two years in a federal prison yet to be assigned, followed by three years of supervised probation. Linda R. Reade, chief judge
Continue Reading Federal judge sentences Halal beef schemer to 2 years
Plea Agreements Could Lead to Second Iowa Halal Trial Being Scratched
A second criminal trial in Iowa’s halal beef case will likely be scratched if the court accepts plea agreements that four defendants have reached with the government. Those defendants, along with their attorneys, are scheduled to appear at individual hearings next Friday before Chief Magistrate Judge Jon Scoles in Cedar
Continue Reading Plea Agreements Could Lead to Second Iowa Halal Trial Being Scratched
Confusion Over Lawyers Marks Start of First Halal Trial in Iowa
As the federal trial gets underway today in Cedar Falls, IA, the religious card is not really being played, but it is clearly in the deck. And one of the South’s more prominent agriculture and food attorneys is joining the defense team for William B. Aossey Jr. In response to
Continue Reading Confusion Over Lawyers Marks Start of First Halal Trial in Iowa
Iowa Judge Denies Motions to Dismiss, Halal Beef Trial Scheduled to Start July 7
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Linda R. Reade signed an order Tuesday dismissing defendant William B. Aossey Jr.’s request for dismissal of 12 of 19 charges prior to the July 7 scheduled start of his jury trial in Cedar Rapids, IA. 
The judge’s order means that the 73-year-old Cedar Rapids
Continue Reading Iowa Judge Denies Motions to Dismiss, Halal Beef Trial Scheduled to Start July 7
Halal Beef Exporter Goes to Federal Criminal Trial in Iowa on July 7
The man who built a worldwide Halal beef exporting company from Iowa will go to federal criminal trial in Cedar Rapids on July 7, beginning with jury selection. Federal Magistrate Judge Jon Stuart Scoles has denied defendant William B. Aossey Jr.’s motion to continue the trial for a third time
Continue Reading Halal Beef Exporter Goes to Federal Criminal Trial in Iowa on July 7
Feds Want to Keep Seized Midamar Emails For Now
The government on Tuesday asked a federal magistrate to deny an emergency motion seeking the return of emails taken last week when search warrants were executed at the Midamar Corporation in Cedar Rapids, IA. Defense attorneys for the company say the emails are shielded by attorney-client privilege. 
After a 56-minute
Continue Reading Feds Want to Keep Seized Midamar Emails For Now
Trials Scheduled for Iowa Defendants in Halal Case
The founder of an Iowa-based global supplier of Halal meat and poultry products is scheduled for a federal criminal trial starting July 7 which is expected to take about a week. Another trial is scheduled for Sept. 28 for his two sons and the company he founded, the entity that
Continue Reading Trials Scheduled for Iowa Defendants in Halal Case
All Defendants Plead Not Guilty in Halal Case
The federal courts often move too slowly for some, but that was not the case Monday in the U.S. District Court for Northern Iowa. in just 18 minutes, officers of the Cedar Rapids, IA-based Midamar Corporation and the related Islamic Services of America were arraigned on federal felony charges, pleaded
Continue Reading All Defendants Plead Not Guilty in Halal Case
Federal Prosecutors Add Four Defendants to Alleged Halal Mislabeling Case
The government’s prosecution over alleged mislabeling of Halal beef for export to Southeast Asia just got bigger. Brothers Jalel and William “Yahya” Aossey, along with the Midamar Corporation and Islamic Services of America, will be arraigned in federal court on multiple felony charges next Monday, Dec. 15. Both businesses are
Continue Reading Federal Prosecutors Add Four Defendants to Alleged Halal Mislabeling Case