US beef exporter jailed over fraud halal goods, says report

A 74-year-old US businessman has been jailed for two years over fraud in the export of beef products to Malaysia and Indonesia which failed to meet halal standards, The Star Online reported today. William Aossey Jr, who founded halal food company Midamar Corp in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 40 years ago, was convicted of ordering his employees to alter packaging labels to reflect federal establishment numbers of an approved slaughterhouse in Nebraska. In reality, the report said, the products had come from a slaughterhouse in Minnesota that was not approved for importation to Malaysia and Indonesia. According to The Star, Aossey today received the jail sentence and a US$60,000 (RM252,000) fine over the case, which was said to involve 22 shipments of food products worth over RM3.1 million. The son of Syrian immigrants, Aossey was reportedly a leader in the Muslim community in Cedar Rapids. – February 27, 2016.]]>