Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was found guilty in federal court on Tuesday on all 16 counts following a two-month criminal trial where he faced charges of corruption, bribery, obstruction of justice, acting as a foreign agent, and conspiracy.
Menendez and his wife Nadine, whose trial is delayed as she battles breast cancer, were indicted in September for allegedly accepting bribes from three businessmen in exchange for actions that he took as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to the Department of Justice, the alleged bribes were intended to protect the businessmen and to benefit Egypt.
Prosecutors later said in a revised indictment that Menendez also allegedly used his clout to help a friend secure a multi-million dollar investment deal from the Qatari government, in part by taking actions that benefited Qatar.
One of the co-conspirators in the case, New Jersey businessman Jose Uribe, testified in the case that he bribed Menendez in exchange for Menendez pressuring prosecutors to not pursue criminal cases against Uribe and his business associates.
“I (agreed) with Nadine Menendez and other people to provide a car for Nadine in order to get the power and influence of Mr. Menendez,” Uribe testified.
He said that the bribe was intended “to help me get a better resolution for one of my associates who was being charged in a criminal matter and to stop and kill investigations that could lead to my daughter and family members.”
Menendez, 70, could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars as eight of the counts that he was convicted of each carries a potential 20-year prison sentence.
Prosecutor Paul M. Monteleoni said during closing arguments: “It wasn’t enough for him to be one of the most powerful people in Washington.”
“No, Robert Menendez wanted all that power, but he also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife,” he said. “So, Menendez sold the power of his office.”
Post a Comment