US Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty on all 16 counts of bribery, wire fraud, extortion, acting as a foreign agent, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy in a New York courtroom on Tuesday. This conviction could potentially see the New Jersey Democrat serve decades behind bars. Two New Jersey businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were also convicted on multiple charges, while a third, Jose Uribe, had already pleaded guilty and testified against Senator Menendez during the trial.
Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, was indicted alongside her husband last year but will be tried separately once she completes breast cancer treatment. Prosecutors accuse the couple of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” between 2018 and 2022 in exchange for using Senator Menendez’s power and influence to serve the interests of a foreign state actor (Egypt. The businessmen allegedly provided envelopes of cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and a no-show job for Nadine.
In return, Menendez used his position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to end a “hold” on US military aid to Egypt, pass sensitive government information to Daibes, and pressure prosecutors into investigating several of Hana’s competitors in the Halal meat business. During his closing argument earlier this month, federal prosecutor Paul Monteleoni stated, “It wasn’t enough for him to be one of the most powerful people in Washington. Robert Menendez wanted all that power and he also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife.
Menendez did not testify in his own defense during the trial. His lawyers argued that the government could not prove a direct causation between the Senator receiving cash, gold, and gifts and him aiding Egypt. They maintained that Menendez was acting in the interests of his constituents by assisting Hana and Daibes.
Menendez is the first sitting member of Congress to be charged with acting as a foreign agent. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called on the Senator to “do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.” Menendez has represented New Jersey since 2006, and is up for re-election this November. However, he announced in June that he would not seek the Democratic Party’s support and will run as an independent.
The senator’s political future hangs on the outcome of a sentencing hearing scheduled for October. He faces a potential prison term of 20 years for each charge of extortion and wire fraud, and a total of 222 years in the unlikely event that the maximum sentence for all 16 counts is applied consecutively.