Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey found guilty on all counts in federal corruption trial

NEW YORK -- Sen. Bob Menendez was recovered blameworthy connected each counts Tuesday successful his national corruption trial.

Federal prosecutors successful New York alleged the New Jersey Democrat accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars successful bribes successful the signifier of cash, golden bars, owe payments and much successful speech for the senator's governmental clout. Three New Jersey businessmen who were besides charged, on with the governments of Egypt and Qatar, were the alleged recipients.

Menendez pleaded not blameworthy to 16 national charges including bribery, fraud, acting arsenic a overseas cause and obstruction.

Prosecutors claimed Menendez, 70, "put his powerfulness up for sale" successful speech for the gold, envelopes stuffed with money, checks to his woman for a no-show occupation and a Mercedes-Benz convertible. The FBI recovered golden bars and much than $400,000 successful currency stashed successful places including jackets and shoes passim his home, prosecutors said.

"It wasn't capable for him to beryllium 1 of the astir almighty radical successful Washington," national authoritative Paul Monteleoni said during his closing statement connected July 8. "Robert Menendez wanted each that powerfulness and helium besides wanted to usage it to heap up riches for himself and his wife."

The defense, meanwhile, maintained that each of the actions successful the indictment fell wrong the scope of Menendez's presumption and that prosecutors failed to beryllium helium took immoderate bribes.

During his closing argument, defence lawyer Adam Fee mocked the government's lawsuit arsenic "cherry-picked nonsense" and accused prosecutors of "fudging" the facts.

"The lone honorable verdict I taxable present is to acquit him connected each count," Fee told the assemblage connected July 9. "His actions were lawful, mean and bully for the country."

Menendez declined to attest successful his ain defense. While leaving tribunal aft the defence rested its lawsuit connected July 3, helium told reporters, "From my perspective, the authorities has failed to beryllium each facet of its case."

He said helium expected his lawyers to contiguous a "convincing and almighty summation" and that the assemblage would find him not guilty.

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Prosecutors told the assemblage that Menendez promised to usage his powerfulness to assistance Egypt. According to the indictment, the statement was brokered by New Jersey businessman Wael Hana, a person of Menendez's wife, Nadine, who prosecutors said received the senator's assistance preserving a halal nutrient monopoly.

Menendez was besides accused of receiving a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible successful speech for assistance disrupting a lawsuit by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

Prosecutors said that successful the outpouring of 2019, different New Jersey businessman, Jose Uribe, handed Nadine $15,000 successful currency that she utilized arsenic a down outgo for the car. She texted Menendez, "Congratulations. We are the arrogant owners of a 2019 Mercedes," according to prosecutors. Uribe kept making the monthly payments, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors claimed the legislator promised a 3rd businessman, Fred Daibes, that helium would interfere with Daibes' national prosecution and assistance the authorities of Qatar by supporting a Senate solution praising the country.

Daibes' fingerprints were recovered connected the envelopes of currency recovered astatine Menendez's location and serial numbers connected the golden bars traced them to Daibes and Hana, according to prosecutors.

During the 2 months of testimony, jurors heard his sister explicate wherefore Menendez was caught with wads of currency stuffed into his embroidered legislature jacket: "It's a Cuban thing," Caridad Gonzalez said.

The defence besides told jurors that Menendez and his wife, who has besides been charged successful the case, led abstracted lives and she had fiscal concerns that she kept from her husband.

ALSO SEE: Sen. Bob Menendez says helium didn't attest due to the fact that prosecution failed to beryllium its bribery case

Daibes and Hana pleaded not blameworthy to their charges. Uribe pleaded blameworthy and testified against the 3 defendants during the trial.

Menendez's woman has pleaded not blameworthy to her charges and volition beryllium tried separately successful August owed to a aesculapian condition. She is battling Grade 3 bosom cancer, the legislator revealed successful mid-May astatine the opening of the trial.

Menendez, who has served arsenic legislator for New Jersey since 2006, is the archetypal sitting subordinate of Congress to beryllium charged with conspiracy by a nationalist authoritative to enactment arsenic a overseas agent.

In June, helium filed a petition to get connected the U.S. Senate ballot successful New Jersey arsenic an autarkic candidate.

He refused to resign, though helium did measurement down arsenic the president of the almighty Senate Foreign Relations Committee pursuing the archetypal indictment successful September 2023.

This marked the 2nd clip the legislator was charged with corruption. A 2015 indictment ended successful a mistrial successful 2018 aft a assemblage failed to scope a verdict connected each counts.