After a nine-week trial, the jury in Manhattan reached a verdict in the federal corruption case against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and two of his associates Fred Daibes, and Wael Hana.
The verdict is guilty.
Menendez – sometimes called “Gold Bar Bob”, because he is accused of accepting gold, cash, and luxury cars as payment from three businessmen whom he allegedly helped improperly – pleaded not guilty. His defense lawyers claimed that the prosecution had failed to prove its case.
Adam Fee, Menendez’s attorney, stated in his closing remarks, which started last Wednesday, “Prosecutors did not meet their burden of proving to you that the gold or money was given to Senator Menendez to bribe him.”
He said that the absence of evidence was a factor against the prosecution.
He said the evidence of the prosecution “is overwhelmingly obvious that this story is shaky and rotten at its core.”
The jury was not in agreement.
The prosecution argued there was overwhelming evidence that corruption had occurred:
“This is an important case,” [prosecutor Paul] Monteleoni stated. “But the case is a classic example of massive corruption.”
The prosecutors presented evidence at the trial that Menendez accepted lavish gifts from foreign governments. They used emails, text messages, and FBI testimony. Gold bars worth more than $100,000 were among the gifts, along with hundreds of thousands in cash that filled Menendez’s New Jersey house.
Menendez’s political career was already in a bad way before the verdict:
Menendez’s conviction is likely to fuel calls for him to resign as a senator. The three-term senator has declared his innocence and claimed that he was singled out because he is a prominent Latino.
His indictment took a toll on his political career. Andy Kim (D-NJ) defeated Menendez in the Democratic primary in June. Menendez has now announced that he will run as an independent in the general election in November.
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