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Presidential Clemency Record

Sholom Rubashkin

Commutation

  /   2017–2021

Record at a Glance

Clemency type
Commutation
Presidential term
2017–2021
Federal district
Northern District of Iowa
Offense
Bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. §1344 (14 counts); false statements and reports to a bank, 18 U.S.C. §1014 (24 counts); wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (14 counts); mail fraud, 18 U.S.C. §1341 (nine counts); money laundering and aiding and abetting, 18 U.S.C. §1956 (10 counts); willful violation of order of Secretary of Agriculture and aiding and abetting, 7 U.S.C. §§193 & 195 (15 counts)
Sentence
324 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release; $26,852,152.51 restitution (June 22, 2010)
Current status
Rubashkin continued public speaking in 2025. The cited report documents that activity but does not address his employment, restitution, or supervision status.

Background

A jury found Rubashkin guilty of 86 financial-fraud and related counts on November 12, 2009. DOJ describes inflated sales used to obtain loans and diversion of lender payments. The June 22, 2010 sentence was 324 months, five years supervision and $26,852,152.51 restitution. Do not confuse this defendant with a different Sholom Rubashkin in a Pennsylvania environmental case.

Original Case

Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin was the chief executive of Agriprocessors, an Iowa kosher-meat processor. A federal jury convicted him in November 2009 on 86 financial-fraud and related counts, including bank, wire, and mail fraud; false statements to a bank; money laundering; and violations involving livestock-payment requirements. Trial evidence showed that he inflated company sales to obtain millions of dollars in loans, diverted customer payments owed to the lender, and moved tens of millions of dollars through accounts at a grocery store and religious school. Prosecutors calculated more than $26 million in losses to the company's lenders and said about $1.5 million was transferred from company accounts to Rubashkin's personal accounts. On June 22, 2010, the court sentenced Rubashkin to 324 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and $26,852,152.51 in restitution. The Eighth Circuit upheld the judgment.

Clemency

The signed December 20, 2017 warrant commuted the prison sentence and directed release. The White House expressly stated that this was not a pardon: the conviction, supervision, and restitution remained.

Trump Connection

Rubashkin's clemency campaign drew support from elected officials, former Justice Department officials, and members of the legal and religious communities who argued that his 27-year sentence was excessive. The White House cited that bipartisan support and sentence-disparity concern when Trump commuted the prison term. Makan Delrahim, who became the Trump administration's antitrust chief, had previously served on Rubashkin's pro bono legal team. His participation connected the legal campaign to a senior administration official, although no source attributes Trump’s decision specifically to Delrahim.

Sources

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