Sen. Bob Menendez found guilty on all counts, including acting as foreign agent, in federal corruption trial

Sen. Bob Menendez found guilty on all counts, including acting as foreign agent, in federal corruption trial 



Sen. Sway Menendez was found blameworthy on all tallies Tuesday in his government debasement trial.

Federal prosecutors in Unused York affirmed the Unused Shirt Democrat acknowledged hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the shape of cash, gold bars, contract installments and more in trade for the senator's political influence. Three Modern Shirt businessmen who were moreover charged, along with the governments of Egypt and Qatar, were the affirmed beneficiaries. Two of those co-defendants, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were too indicted of all checks they faced.

The jury thought for around 13 hours over three days.

'I have never, ever been a outside agent,' Menendez says

Menendez argued not blameworthy to 16 government charges counting bribery, extortion, acting as a outside operator and hindrance. He said he plans to offer his conviction and is "profoundly disillusioned" by the jury's decision.

"I have never damaged my pledge," he said exterior the courthouse Tuesday. "I have never been anything but a loyalist of my nation and for my nation. I have never, ever been a remote agent."He included that the jury's choice would "put at hazard each part of the Joined together States Senate in terms of what they think a remote specialist would be."

Menendez did not react to questions on whether he will resign.

He will be sentenced on Oct. 29 and faces decades in prison.Calls to resign

Menendez is not required to leave in spite of his conviction, in spite of the fact that may be expelled.

Majority Pioneer Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for his renunciation promptly after the verdict.

"In light of this blameworthy decision, Congressperson Menendez must presently do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our nation, and leave," he said.

Sen. Cory Booker, Menendez's Unused Shirt partner, and Unused Shirt Gov. Phil Murphy joined in the calls for his quick renunciation. If the congressperson denies to empty his office, Murphy said he will call on the U.S. Senate to remove him.The Senate Morals Committee said it will "expeditiously" total the examination into Menendez's conduct that it attempted when the affirmations against him to begin with surfaced.

The committee said it will consider the "full extend of disciplinary activities accessible beneath the Rules of Method," which incorporate removal and censure.

He is not required to leave in spite of his conviction, in spite of the fact that might be expelled.

'Shocking levels of corruption'

U.S. Lawyer Damian Williams, whose office arraigned the case, said taking after the decision that this "has continuously been approximately stunning levels of corruption."

"Hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, counting gold, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz. This wasn't legislative issues as regular; this was legislative issues for benefit," Williams said in a explanation. "Since Congressperson Menendez has presently been found blameworthy, his a long time of offering his office to the most elevated bidder have at long last come to an conclusion. Debasement isn't costless: it disintegrates open believe, and it undermines the run the show of law. That's why we're so committed to battling it, in any case of political party."

Prosecutors claimed Menendez, 70, "put his control up for deal" in trade for the gold, envelopes stuffed with cash, checks to his spouse for a no-show work and a Mercedes-Benz convertible. The FBI found gold bars and more than $400,000 in cash reserved in places counting coats and shoes all through his domestic, prosecutors said.

"It wasn't sufficient for him to be one of the most capable individuals in Washington," government prosecutor Paul Monteleoni said amid his closing contention on July 8. "Robert Menendez needed all that control and he moreover needed to utilize it to heap up wealth for himself and his wife."Defense mocked DOJ's case as 'cherry-picked nonsense'

The defense, in the mean time, kept up that all of the activities in the prosecution fell inside the scope of Menendez's position and that prosecutors fizzled to demonstrate he took any bribes.

During his closing contention, defense lawyer Adam Charge derided the government's case as "cherry-picked drivel" and charged prosecutors of "fudging" the facts.

"The as it were fair decision I yield here is to vindicate him on each check," Charge told the jury on July 9. "His activities were legal, typical and great for the country."

Menendez declined to affirm in his possess defense. Whereas taking off court after the defense rested its case on July 3, he told columnists, "From my point of view, the government has fizzled to demonstrate each perspective of its case."

He said he anticipated his legal counselors to display a "persuading and effective summation" and that the jury would discover him not guilty.New Shirt businessmen, Menendez's spouse charged in case

Prosecutors told the jury that Menendez guaranteed to utilize his control to offer assistance Egypt. Concurring to the prosecution, the course of action was brokered by Hana, a Modern Shirt businessman and companion of Menendez's spouse, Nadine, who prosecutors said gotten the senator's offer assistance protecting a halal meat monopoly.

Menendez was too charged of getting a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible in trade for offer assistance disturbing a case by the Unused Shirt Lawyer General's Office.

Prosecutors said that in the spring of 2019, another Unused Shirt businessman, Jose Uribe, who argued blameworthy in the case, given Nadine $15,000 in cash that she utilized as a down installment for the car. She texted Menendez, "Congrats. We are the glad proprietors of a 2019 Mercedes," agreeing to prosecutors. Uribe kept making the month to month installments, prosecutors said.Prosecutors claimed the congressperson guaranteed a third businessman, Daibes, that he would meddled with Daibes' government indictment and offer assistance the government of Qatar by supporting a Senate determination lauding the country.

Daibes' fingerprints were found on the envelopes of cash found at Menendez's domestic and serial numbers on the gold bars followed them to Daibes and Hana, concurring to prosecutors.

During the two months of declaration, attendants listened his sister clarify why Menendez was caught with wads of cash stuffed into his weaved congressional coat: "It's a Cuban thing," Caridad Gonzalez said.

The defense moreover told legal hearers that Menendez and his spouse, who has too been charged in the case, driven isolated lives and she had money related concerns that she kept from her husband.

Daibes and Hana argued not blameworthy to their charges. Uribe argued blameworthy and affirmed against the three litigants amid the trial.

Menendez's spouse has argued not blameworthy to her charges and will be attempted independently in Admirable due to a restorative condition. She is fighting Review 3 breast cancer, the representative uncovered in mid-May at the starting of the trial.2nd debasement case against Menendez

Menendez, who has served as congressperson for Modern Shirt since 2006, is the to begin with sitting part of Congress to be charged with trick by a open official to act as a outside agent.

In June, he recorded a request to get on the U.S. Senate vote in Modern Shirt as an free candidate.

He denied to leave, in spite of the fact that he did step down as the chairman of the effective Senate Outside Relations Committee taking after the beginning prosecution in September 2023.

This checked the moment time the representative was charged with debasement. A 2015 arraignment finished in a mistrial in 2018 after a jury fizzled to reach a decision on all checks.

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