Reade presided over the trial and sentencing of kosher slaughterhouse operator Sholom Rubashkin. Judge Reade's 27-year sentence which exceeded the prosecutors 25 year request, was widely criticized, garnered the attention of many prominent politicians, and received widespread media coverage. Following Rubashkins conviction, records were obtained which showed that Reade had been meeting secretly with prosecutors for ten months before the raid on Rubashkin's plant. Reade maintained that the meetings were only to prepare the courts for a case of such large magnitude. While the 8th Circuit of Appeals upheld the ruling, Reade was scheduled to sit with two of the appellate judges on the same day just before those same judges were scheduled to hear the Rubashkin appeal. This conduct during the appeal raised subsequent questions. Forty-five members of Congress wrote to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder questioning Reade's handling of the case. Reade's husband, Michael Figenshaw owned stock at the time in two of the largest private prison corporations in the United States, and purchased more stock in both companies just five days before a large raid on the kosher operator began. Ethics experts say these investments were inappropriate and may have violated the Code of Conduct for United States Judges. On December 20, 2017, after having served eight years of his 27-year sentence, U.S. President Donald Trumpcommuted Rubashkin's sentence. A statement from the Trump White House noted that " bipartisan group of more than 100 former high-ranking and distinguished Department of Justice officials, prosecutors, judges, and legal scholars expressed concerns about the evidentiary proceedings in Mr. Rubashkin’s case and the severity of his sentence," and further noted that more than 30 Members of Congress had written letters expressing support for a review of Rubashkin's case. President Trump cited the bipartisan letter he received months prior, signed by numerous Justice officials and members of United States Congress. The officials stated that they were "deeply troubled" by the injustice in this case and the harm it has caused to public confidence in the fairness of our Federal courts. The letter attached copies of previous letters from both Democratic and Republican members of Congress to Attorney General Eric Holder citing Judge Reade for that inappropriate behavior.
William Aossey - Halal fraud case
Reade was the sentencing judge in the case of William Aossey who was convicted of fraud for falsifying labels on beef exported to Malaysia and Indonesia. Aossey was found guilty of fifteen felonies and federal prosecutors had sought a lengthy prison term. Reade showed leniency and departed from federal guidelines calling for a longer sentence, sentencing Aossey to two years.
