Federal judge continues sentencing for Midamar founder until later this month

Midamar Founder William Aossey, Jr., apologized to a federal judge Friday, saying he didn't intentionally lie during his trial last year.

Aossey, 73, convicted July 13, 2015 in a halal beef exporting scheme, made the statement after U.S. District Chief Judge Linda Reade was contemplating increasing his sentencing because she said he perjured himself in an attempt to get an acquittal.

Aossey said he was mistaken on dates when he said he was tired after traveling back to Iowa from overseas and signed a statement for USDA inspectors about mislabeling products in 2010.

Aossey was to be sentenced Friday but Reade said she wanted to consider Friday's arguments and continued the hearing until Feb. 25, which is when Midamar and Islamic Services of America will be sentenced in the scheme.

According to sentencing guidelines, Aossey faces seven to nine years in prison for convictions of one count of conspiracy to make false statements, the selling of misbranded meat and committing mail and wire fraud; seven counts of making or causing false statements on export applications; and seven counts of wire fraud.

The jury acquitted Aossey of four money laundering charges.

Federal prosecutors argued that Aossey's prison time should be increased because of how the crime was carried out, as he didn't accept responsibility for the crime or for his role, as organizer or leader, of the fraud.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Murphy said Aossey instructed Midamar employees to re-box, re-label and ship beef to Malaysia. The USDA establishment numbers were changed from the slaughter facility that was Midamar's supplier, which wasn't approved by the country, to another facility, which was approved but no a supplier to Midamar.

Murphy pointed out the coordinated effort it took between Midamar and ISA, who certifies the halal products, to carry out the export scheme because all the shipping and export documents had to be changed, along with the establishment numbers. And those actions were repeated in at least 22 shipments.

Aossey tried to say the mislabeling didn't matter but when one shipment was sent and the labels weren't switched with the approved supplier, Aossey sent a letter of apology, saying it was unintentional and wouldn't happen again, Murphy said.

Haytham Faraj, Aossey's Chicago lawyer, argued that he should be sentenced to time served and five years of supervised release. Faraj said Aossey's long life of doing good things in the community, such as providing food for those without, shouldn't be 'marred” by recent events. He asked the judge to consider the 38 letters of support submitted to court and the 40 or so people who were in court on Friday to show their support.

Chuck Swore, 73, former Cedar Rapids City Council member, testified he had been friends with Aossey since they went to Jefferson High School. He said Aossey also helped people get jobs, he even gave Swore's daughter a job at Midamar one time.

'He has the heart to do the right thing,” Swore said.