Sen. Menendez found guilty on all 16 charges in corruption trial
Following a nearly seven-week trial on fraud, bribery, and extortion charges and years of acting as a foreign agent, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called on Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., to resign following Tuesday’s guilty verdict.
“In light of this guilty verdict, Sen. Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer said in a statement, according to Politico.
The New Jersey senator was found guilty by a New York jury on all 16 criminal counts against him in his federal corruption trial.
“Prosecutors accused the senator of accepting ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes’ — including in gold bars — while using his position to enrich the co-conspirators as well as the government of Egypt,” according to Axios. “In January, another superseding indictment accused him of accepting bribes from (Fred) Daibes in exchange for helping the government of Qatar. In March, a third superseding indictment charged him with obstruction of justice.”
All parties, including his wife Nadine Menendez, and co-defendants, businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, pleaded not guilty and were found otherwise. Nadine Menendez’s trial has been indefinitely postponed due to the current cancer treatments she is undergoing after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
The prosecution claimed Menendez used his power as senator to fill his and his wife’s pockets with hundreds of thousands of dollars, actual bars of gold and even a Mercedes-Benz convertible, all found during the FBI’s investigation.
In closing arguments last week, federal prosecutor Paul Monteleoni emphasized that Menendez was arguably one of the most powerful men in Congress. “Robert Menendez wanted all that power and he also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife,” Monteleoni said, per ABC News.
The jury took nearly 13 hours in a three-day period to come to a judgment, and the charges found against the Democratic senator mean he could face serious prison time.
“The most serious charges of extortion and wire fraud carry a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on each count. In all, Menendez faces a maximum of 222 years in prison for the 16 charges if served consecutively,” according to CNN. “However, any sentences would run concurrently unless the court orders otherwise.”
Having filed to run for reelection in June of this year, Menendez will likely be expelled from the Senate if he does not step down himself.
