Guilty plea in Agriprocessors case could mean immigrants living in Decorah could go home

A top manager at Agriprocessors, Inc. pleaded guilty Monday to charges of helping illegal immigrants at the plant secure fake work papers.
52-year-old Brent Beebe of Postville admitted he played a role in helping obtain illegal work documents for 19 workers at the plant.

Beebe becomes the third Agri-Processors manager to plead guilty to such charges. Former Human Resources Manager Elizabeth Billmeyer has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Former Human Resources Supervisor Penny Hanson has received two years of probation.

Two other managers, Zeev Levi and Hosam Amara, have been indicted on similar charges, but both men remain at large.

The guilty plea by Beebe might mean that nine former workers at the plant who have been living in Decorah while waiting to testify at a trial can now return to their home countries.