Longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez has been found guilty of corruption and bribery by a New York jury.
On Tuesday, the New Jersey Democrat was convicted on all charges related to a widespread bribery and improper foreign-aid scheme detailed by prosecutors over the course of three indictments.
In September, Menendez was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion. Prosecutors alleged that the sitting senator and his wife, Nadine, “agreed to and did accept hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using Menendez’s power and influence as a senator to seek to protect and enrich” three businessmen: Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes. Among the bribes accepted by the Menendezes were envelopes of cash, solid bars of gold, and luxury vehicles.
In October, prosecutors leveled additional charges, alleging that Menendez “provided sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt,” and acted as a foreign agent. Earlier this year, a third indictment accused the senator of using his elected office to unlawfully benefit the government of Qatar.
Despite calls from dozens of Democrats for his resignation in the aftermath of the initial indictment, Menendez has refused to vacate his seat, only going so far as to voluntarily step down from his position as Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee.
With a conviction now in hand, it’s unlikely he will manage to keep his post much longer.
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