Sen. Menendez Found Guilty on All Corruption Charges

New Jersey’s senior United States Senator, Robert Menendez, has been found guilty on all 16 counts in his federal bribery and corruption trial.  The nine week trial also found his co-defendants, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, guilty on all counts.

Sentencing for the former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled for October 29th.

The 70-year old former Mayor of Union City maintains his innocence, having pleaded not guilty to charges he accepted gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from three, New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official actions which would benefit them financially between 2018 and 2022.

Jurors deliberated for three days before reaching their verdict.

A third businessman pleaded guilty before the trial began and testified against the Senator and the other businessmen.

Including bribery and conspiracy, Menendez was found guilty on charges of acting as a foreign agent, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice.

Reaction to the verdict has come quickly, with New York Senator Chuck Schumer and New Jersey Congressman Andy Kim, who is running for Menendez’s Senate seat, calling for his immediate resignation.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy stated, “Today’s verdict finding Senator Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts demonstrates that the Senator broke the law, violated the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office. It also shows that in America, everyone – no matter how powerful – is accountable to our laws.

“Senator Menendez received a fair trial and due process of law as he was entitled to under our Constitution. I want to thank all the public servants who play crucial roles in our criminal justice system, including our law enforcement officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors, and judges. Their hard work ensured that these brazen crimes were proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and our nation is grateful for their service.

“I reiterate my call for Senator Menendez to resign immediately after being found guilty of endangering national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system. If he refuses to vacate his office, I call on the U.S. Senate to vote to expel him. In the event of a vacancy, I will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve.”