A federal jury has reached a verdict in the trial of Sen. Bob Menendez, the powerful New Jersey Democrat accused of selling out his office for lucrative bribes, including cash and gold bars.
Menendez, who has pleaded not guilty, was charged with 16 felony counts in what prosecutors alleged was a sprawling bribery scheme that involved two foreign governments and three New Jersey businessmen.
Prosecutors alleged Menendez acted to secretly benefit the government of Egypt, including ghostwriting a letter for the country lobbying his Senate colleagues to release military aid; pressured a U.S. Department of Agriculture official to protect a halal certification monopoly Egypt granted to a businessman, Wael Hana, who was paying the senator’s wife; attempted to quash a federal prosecution against a second businessman, Fred Daibes, while helping him land a lucrative investment deal with Qatar; and interfering in criminal investigations by the New Jersey attorney general’s office into the associates of a third businessman, Jose Uribe. Menendez was also accused of obstruction of justice after he and his wife tried to characterize some of the alleged bribe payments as loans and “caused” their former lawyers to make false statements to prosecutors.
In return for political favors, the businessmen provided Menendez and his wife with lavish gifts, including cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, furniture and mortgage payments.
This is a developing story and will be updated.