US Senator Bob Menendez, the once-powerful New Jersey Democrat, was discovered responsible of bribery, extortion and appearing as a overseas agent of Egypt after a corruption trial centered on 13 gold bars, almost $500,000 in money and a Mercedes-Benz seized at his residence.
A jury convicted Menendez on all 16 counts in opposition to him Tuesday after a two-month trial in New York federal court docket, the place prosecutors claimed the lawmaker offered his affect to guard businessmen and promote Egypt’s pursuits. Menendez, who faces as many as 20 years in jail on probably the most critical counts, confirmed no emotion because the jury foreperson mentioned “responsible” repeatedly.
Prosecutors argued that Menendez’s spouse, Nadine, was a key go-between who collected bribes and arrange conferences with the businessmen and Egyptian officers. She was additionally charged, however will face a later trial.
“Senator Menendez should now do what is true for his constituents, the Senate, and our nation, and resign,” Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer mentioned after the decision.
If Menendez doesn’t resign, the Senate may transfer to expel him. No senator has been expelled for the reason that Civil Struggle, although many have resigned below strain from social gathering leaders. If Menendez leaves, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, would appoint a substitute till Menendez’s time period ends on Jan. 3.
Exterior the courthouse, Menendez mentioned he was “deeply disillusioned” and that he expects to succeed on enchantment.
“I’ve by no means violated my public oath, I’ve by no means been something however a patriot of my nation and for my nation,” Menendez mentioned. “I’ve by no means, ever been a overseas agent and the choice rendered by the jury as we speak would put in danger each member of the US Senate by way of what they assume a overseas agent could be.”
The three-term senator was the primary member of Congress convicted of being a public official appearing as a overseas agent. He was additionally discovered responsible of bribery, extortion, conspiracy, sincere providers wire fraud and obstruction of justice.
Menendez, the senior Hispanic lawmaker in Congress, noticed his political help vanish in Washington and New Jersey amid the publicity of the money, gold and the Mercedes convertible seized by the FBI from his residence in 2022. Following the indictment, he resigned as chairman of the Senate International Relations Committee.
Learn Extra: Bob Menendez Jurors Held Gold Bars, Noticed Secret Video, Eyed Money
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Within the courtroom, one in all Menendez’s legal professionals patted him on the shoulder as the decision was learn. The decide set a sentencing date for Oct. 29 for Menendez and two co-defendants convicted with him, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. Like Menendez, Daibes and Hana are anticipated to enchantment.
Prosecutors mentioned Menendez corruptly helped Egypt safe US army help and delicate data; urged a US agriculture undersecretary to cease questioning Hana’s halal monopoly; weighed appointing a US lawyer in New Jersey who would affect a 2018 fraud indictment of Daibes; contacted the New Jersey lawyer basic to disrupt New Jersey prison probes of two folks near Uribe; and helped Daibes organize financing from a Qatari funding fund for an actual property challenge.
‘All That Energy’
“This case has at all times been about surprising ranges of corruption,” US Lawyer Damian Williams mentioned in an announcement after watching the decision within the courtroom. “This wasn’t politics as traditional; this was politics for revenue. As a result of Senator Menendez has now been discovered responsible, his years of promoting his workplace to the best bidder have lastly come to an finish.”
The bribes started when Menendez, 70, began relationship Nadine Arslanian in 2018, simply after an earlier corruption trial in opposition to him resulted in a hung jury, prosecutors mentioned. They wed in 2020.
On the trial, jurors held the gold bars stashed within the Menendez home, heard about their tumultuous relationship, and watched a secret FBI video of the couple eating at a Morton’s steakhouse with an Egyptian intelligence official. A 3rd businessman, former insurance coverage dealer Jose Uribe, pleaded responsible and testified he bribed Arslanian with a Mercedes.
Menendez didn’t testify however denied wrongdoing. His legal professionals mentioned he took no bribes or official actions to advance any quid-pro-quo schemes. His lawyer Adam Price derided the US case as “painfully skinny,” woven from “fantasy” hypothesis and misguided inferences.
Money in Closets
Protection legal professionals sought to defuse the explosive coronary heart of the case — gold bars and money stuffed in closets, boots, jackets, a secure and a purchasing bag. Utilizing fingerprints and DNA proof, prosecutors traced $82,500 of cash-stuffed envelopes to Daibes.
Serial numbers on two one-kilogram gold bars, valued at about $60,000 every, matched these on an inventory Daibes saved. Daibes, who grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp, gave different kilogram bars to Nadine Menendez, who offered all however two earlier than the FBI raid, the US mentioned. Protection legal professionals mentioned she inherited gold bars from her Lebanese household, and there’s no proof the gold she offered got here from Daibes.
Price mentioned Menendez’s Cuban immigrant mother and father hoarded money, and that the senator routinely withdrew $400 for many years from a checking account. He additionally argued Daibes had been pals with Menendez for 30 years, and he gave items out of friendship, not corrupt intent.
Jurors heard Arslanian was mesmerized by Menendez once they started relationship, calling him “mon amour” in gushing texts. She and Hana arrange conferences with Egyptian officers at the same time as she confronted foreclosures on her mortgage and struggled to pay for a brand new automobile after totaling a Mercedes when she struck and killed a pedestrian. Prosecutors mentioned Hana gave her a no-show job and paid her mortgage, each as bribes.
Uribe, the cooperating witness, testified he gave her $15,000 in money in a diner parking zone as a down cost on a brand new automobile, and made month-to-month funds for nearly three years. He pushed Arslanian to prod Menendez to contact New Jersey’s lawyer basic on the time, Gurbir Grewal, to induce him to drop the insurance coverage fraud indictment of an affiliate.
Serial Liar
Protection legal professionals grilled Uribe, in search of to indicate he was a serial liar who shouldn’t be trusted.
Grewal testified that Menendez known as him in January 2019, and met with him eight months later, to complain about insurance coverage fraud investigations of Hispanic truckers.
“Menendez is wise, Menendez is cautious,” prosecutor Paul Monteleoni mentioned in his summation. “He wasn’t silly sufficient to inform Grewal it is advisable kill this case.” As an alternative, Menendez “used a pretend declare of discrimination as a tactic as a result of that could be a critical accusation, one that would get a case dismissed,” and it gave him deniability “if anybody ever accused him of improperly pressuring Grewal,” the prosecutor mentioned.
The case is US v. Menendez, 23-cr-490, US District Courtroom, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
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