By: ATN News
New York: In a landmark verdict, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was found guilty on all counts in his federal corruption trial on Tuesday. The New Jersey Democrat faced 16 federal charges, including bribery, fraud, acting as a foreign agent, and obstruction. Federal prosecutors in New York alleged that Menendez accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, including cash, gold bars, mortgage payments, and a luxury car, in exchange for his political influence.
The allegations centered on Sen. Bob Menendez interactions with three New Jersey businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar. The jury, which deliberated for 13 hours over three days, also convicted two of the co-defendants, Wael Hanna and Fred Daibes, on all counts they faced.
Prosecutors painted a picture of Menendez, 70, as a powerful figure who exploited his position for personal gain. "Robert Menendez wanted all that power and he also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife," said federal prosecutor Paul Monteleoni in his closing argument. The evidence presented included gold bars and over $400,000 in cash found in Menendez’s home, stashed in jackets and shoes. Additionally, the senator allegedly accepted checks to his wife for a no-show job and a Mercedes-Benz convertible.
Menendez’s defense argued that his actions were within the scope of his official duties and that the prosecution failed to prove any wrongdoing. Defense attorney Adam Fee criticized the government's case as "cherry-picked nonsense," urging the jury to acquit his client on all counts. Menendez himself did not testify, maintaining that the government had failed to prove its case.
The indictment detailed Menendez's alleged promise to use his power to assist Egypt, a deal brokered by Wael Hanna, a friend of Menendez's wife, Nadine. Hanna purportedly secured Menendez’s help in preserving a halal meat monopoly. Another charge involved a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible Menendez allegedly received for disrupting a case by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. Prosecutors presented evidence that Jose Uribe, a New Jersey businessman who pleaded guilty, handed Nadine Menendez $15,000 in cash for the car’s down payment and continued to make monthly payments.
Further allegations involved Fred Daibes, who supposedly sought Menendez’s interference in his federal prosecution and his support for a Senate resolution praising Qatar. Prosecutors linked cash found at Menendez’s home to Daibes and Hanna through fingerprints and serial numbers on the gold bars.
During the two-month trial, jurors heard testimony from Menendez’s sister, Caridad Gonzalez, who tried to explain the cash found in his home as a cultural habit, saying, "It’s a Cuban thing." The defense also argued that Menendez and his wife led separate financial lives.
While Hanna and Daibes pleaded not guilty, Jose Uribe testified against them. Menendez’s wife, who also faces charges, will be tried separately in August due to her battle with Grade 3 breast cancer.
Menendez, a senator for New Jersey since 2006, made history as the first sitting member of Congress to be charged with conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. Despite filing a petition to run as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate, Menendez’s conviction casts significant doubt on his political future. He has refused to resign but stepped down as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee following the indictment in September 2023.
This marks the second time Menendez has faced corruption charges. A 2015 indictment resulted in a mistrial in 2018 when the jury failed to reach a verdict. Now, with a definitive guilty verdict, Menendez’s political career and personal legacy are in jeopardy.
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