Associated Press 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The former manager of an Iowa kosher meatpacking plant testified Thursday that he never intentionally violated federal laws, but he admitted making some mistakes.

Sholom Rubashkin faces 91 charges of bank, mail and wire fraud, money laundering and ignoring orders to pay cattle providers in the time required by federal law.

Rubashkin took the stand in his trial in U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls, S.D. He said questionable financial practices at the Agriprocessors Inc. plant in Postville, Iowa, can be blamed on his oversights or actions by other employees.

He said he tried to comply with the law.

"I made mistakes," Rubashkin said. "I'm a human being. I took the information people gave me and sort of went with it without really drilling down to see if it was for real or not."

The trial comes more than 18 months after a federal immigration raid at the plant. The plant fell into bankruptcy, and prosecutors claim evidence of a massive fraud scheme was uncovered during an investigation by a court-appointed trustee.

Rubashkin testified that he never read an agreement for a $35 million line of credit to the plant before signing it.

The loan from First Bank Business Capital is a major part of the alleged fraud scheme, and former employees have testified that Rubashkin told a worker to falsify sales invoices to collect larger advances.

Assistant U.S. Attorney C.J. Williams asked Rubashkin about a statement he allegedly made to the plant's human resources director, Elizabeth Billmeyer.

Billmeyer testified last week that she warned Rubashkin about illegal immigrants at the plant. She said Rubashkin told her that it was his company and that he would run it the way he wanted.

Rubashkin said he was offended and denied making the statement to Billmeyer.

"First of all, Agriprocessors is not my company," he said. "I don't talk like that. I never, ever made a statement like that. It's not me."

Defense attorneys have argued that Rubashkin's father, Aaron, was the company's owner and that Sholom Rubashkin handled the plant's daily business.

Williams also asked Rubashkin about $1.5 million in customer checks deposited to Citizens State Bank in eastern Iowa. Bank officials testified earlier in the trial that the money should have gone to a bank in Decorah, Iowa, which would then route the money to them.

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