US Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was found guilty of bribery offenses and conspiracy to act as a foreign agent on Tuesday. The verdict follows charges that he received over $500,000 in cash, $100,000 worth of gold bars, and a Mercedes luxury car from three businessmen. The month-long trial culminated in more than two days of jury deliberations. Businessmen Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, and Jose Uribe were also convicted in connection with the case.
Menendez was found guilty on all 16 counts, including bribery, honest services wire fraud, extortion under official color of right, conspiracy to act as a foreign agent, and obstruction of justice. The businessmen involved were also found guilty on all counts against them.
Prosecutors claimed that Menendez facilitated military aid for Egypt and protected Hana’s Egyptian Halal certification monopoly after the businessman arranged a no-show job for Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez. Allegations also included that Menendez received gold bars for influencing the US Attorney’s Office regarding charges against Daibes and a Mercedes for swaying a New Jersey prosecutor in Uribe’s favor. A superseding indictment further implicated Menendez in promoting Qatar’s interests to secure an investment for a real estate project involving Daibes.
In a post-trial press conference, Menendez expressed his disappointment with the verdict and indicated plans to appeal. “I have never, ever been a foreign agent, and the decision rendered by the jury today would put at risk every member of the United States Senate in terms of what they think a foreign agent would be,” he stated.
US Attorney Damien Williams commented on the verdict, stating, “This wasn’t politics as usual; this was politics for profit. And now that a jury has convicted Bob Menendez, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end.” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy added, “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.”
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Menendez’s resignation, stating on X (formerly Twitter), “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign” (tweet). Although Menendez previously resisted resigning after his indictment, he faces potential expulsion from the Senate if a two-thirds vote is achieved.
This conviction comes after a 2017 corruption case against Menendez ended in a mistrial when the jury deadlocked. The federal judge later acquitted him on 7 out of 18 charges in January 2018, and the US Department of Justice dropped the remaining charges days later.
According to the New York Times, sentencing in this latest case is scheduled for October 29. Nadine Menendez, also charged in the case, has not yet been tried due to a breast cancer diagnosis.