New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez was discovered responsible on 16 counts associated to a scheme through which he accepted bribes, together with gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz, in alternate for serving to international governments .
Menendez – the previous chairman of the highly effective Senate International Relations Committee – now faces the prospect of many years in jail and attainable firing by Democrats.
He has maintained his innocence all through the eight-week trial, along with his legal professionals arguing that the presents he accepted didn’t qualify as bribes as a result of prosecutors didn’t show that he took any particular motion on account of accepting the presents.
Menendez’s spouse, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, additionally faces expenses within the bribery case, however her trial was delayed so she may obtain therapy for breast most cancers. She has pleaded not responsible.
His legal professionals have sought to pin the blame on Mrs Menendez, portraying her as somebody in monetary misery who needed to “get no matter money and property she may”.
After three days of deliberations and greater than 12 hours, the jury discovered Menendez responsible. The trial lasted 9 weeks.
Two businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, are additionally on trial, accused of looking for out senators to illegally help the Egyptian authorities and acquire tens of millions of {dollars} from Qatari funding funds.
A 3rd businessman, Jose Uribe, pleaded responsible on the trial and testified towards Mr Menendez.
Through the trial, prosecutors relied on professional testimony, emails and briefings from Mr. Menendez to show that the senator accepted massive rewards from international governments.
They stated the presents included gold bars price greater than $100,000 (£79,000).
Menendez is operating as an impartial hoping to maintain his seat within the November election, and most Democrats within the state have left after indictments unsealed late final yr revealed that Menendez had gold bars hidden in his house. he.
The senator has beforehand confronted federal corruption expenses. He went on trial in 2017 on expenses the Justice Division supplied political favors to a rich Florida ophthalmologist in alternate for luxurious holidays and different lavish presents.
However the case resulted in a mistrial after he was acquitted on sure expenses and the jury was unable to achieve a unanimous verdict.
