Sen. Bob Menendez Found Guilty in Federal Corruption Trial
On Tuesday, a jury reached a verdict in the federal corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey. Menendez was found guilty on all 16 counts he faced, including bribery, fraud, acting as a foreign agent, and obstruction.
The charges stemmed from allegations that Sen. Bob Menendez accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, including gold bars, mortgage payments, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible, in exchange for using his political influence. Prosecutors claimed he “put his power up for sale” and that the FBI found gold bars and over $400,000 in cash stashed throughout his home.
Menendez’s co-defendants, Wael Hanna and Fred Daibes, were also convicted of all charges they faced. A third co-defendant, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and testified against the defendants during the trial.
The defense maintained that Menendez’s actions were lawful and within the scope of his position, and that prosecutors failed to prove their case. However, the jury deliberated for about 13 hours over three days before reaching the guilty verdict.
Menendez, who has served as a senator since 2006, is the first sitting member of Congress to be charged with conspiracy by a public official to act as a foreign agent. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29 and faces decades in prison.
This is the second time Menendez has been charged with corruption. A 2015 indictment ended in a mistrial in 2018 after a jury failed to reach a verdict on all counts.
In the wake of the verdict, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Menendez’s immediate resignation, stating, “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.”
However, Menendez has refused to resign, though he did step down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee following the initial indictment.
The case has drawn significant attention, with prosecutors accusing Menendez of using his power for personal gain and the defense arguing that his actions were lawful and beneficial to the country. The verdict marks a significant development in the ongoing corruption case against the senator.
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