Conviction all but dooms chances New Jersey Democrat, 70, had of running for re-election as an independent
The US senator Bob Menendez has been convicted of accepting bribes of cash, gold and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen.
The jury’s verdict against the New Jersey Democrat was still being read on Tuesday at a federal courthouse in New York City.
Over a nine-week trial, prosecutors said that Menendez abused the power of his office to protect allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates, including his wife, through acts that included meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials and helping that country access millions of dollars in US military aid.
Menendez, 70, did not testify but insisted publicly he was only doing his job as the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee. He said gold bars found in his New Jersey home by the FBI belonged to his wife.
The conviction comes four months before election day and potentially dooms any hope Menendez had of campaigning for re-election as an independent candidate.
The senator was on trial with two New Jersey businessmen. All three pleaded not guilty.
Another businessman pleaded guilty before trial and testified against Menendez and the other defendants.
Menendez’s wife, Nadine, also was charged, although her trial has been postponed while she recovers from breast cancer surgery.
In a 2022 raid on the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home where Menendez lived with Nadine, FBI agents confiscated gold bars worth nearly $150,000 and over $480,000 in cash, some of it stuffed into boots and jackets emblazoned with the senator’s name.
Continue reading…Conviction all but dooms chances New Jersey Democrat, 70, had of running for re-election as an independentThe US senator Bob Menendez has been convicted of accepting bribes of cash, gold and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen.
The jury’s verdict against the New Jersey Democrat was still being read on Tuesday at a federal courthouse in New York City.
Over a nine-week trial, prosecutors said that Menendez abused the power of his office to protect allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates, including his wife, through acts that included meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials and helping that country access millions of dollars in US military aid.
Menendez, 70, did not testify but insisted publicly he was only doing his job as the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee. He said gold bars found in his New Jersey home by the FBI belonged to his wife.
The conviction comes four months before election day and potentially dooms any hope Menendez had of campaigning for re-election as an independent candidate.
The senator was on trial with two New Jersey businessmen. All three pleaded not guilty.Another businessman pleaded guilty before trial and testified against Menendez and the other defendants.
Menendez’s wife, Nadine, also was charged, although her trial has been postponed while she recovers from breast cancer surgery.
In a 2022 raid on the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home where Menendez lived with Nadine, FBI agents confiscated gold bars worth nearly $150,000 and over $480,000 in cash, some of it stuffed into boots and jackets emblazoned with the senator’s name. Continue reading…