United States Senator Convicted in Bribery Trial

On Behalf of | Jul 22, 2024 | Criminal Defense, Federal Crimes, Felonies |

Senator Bob Menendez Found Guilty on All Counts in Jury Trial

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty by a jury of 16 felony charges relating to a complex scheme to accept bribes in exchange for helping various individuals and two foreign governments in his capacity as a sitting United States senator. We’ve previously covered the Senator in a different alleged bribery scheme after the Senator’s then trial resulted in a hung jury before prosecutors eventually dropped the charges in 2018 rather than retry him. In his conviction in the most recent matter, Senator Menendez is now the first senator to be convicted of acting as a foreign agent. He was accused by the prosecution of using his influence as senator to assist the Egyptian government in receiving military aid that was being held up over human rights violations, pressuring federal officials to protect a halal certification Egypt had granted to a business associate of his wife, and trying to interfere in criminal investigations in exchange for bribes. These payments included gold bars, cash, a Mercedez-Benz convertible, furniture and mortgage payments when his wife’s home was facing foreclosure. The senator faces sentencing on October 29, 2024. At this time it is unclear what sentence the government will seek, but several counts carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.

The case against Senator Menendez follows other high profile public trials of sitting and former government officials by the Department of Justice as they seem to renew their focus on public corruption, despite the fact that it may become harder to do at the federal level following recent Supreme Court rulings. In fact, when asked about his thoughts on the guilty verdict, Senator Menendez said that he is confident his appeal would be successful. As always, anyone facing charges of corruption or believes they are the target of a federal, state, or local investigation should consult with an experienced attorney as soon as possible.

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