US Senator Robert Menendez Found Guilty of Accepting Bribes, Faces Decades in Prison

New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez was found guilty on Tuesday of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, including 1-kilogram gold bars, in exchange for using his influential position to benefit three business people and the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

Sen. Robert Menendez was found guilty of accepting bribes. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Menendez, 70, dressed in a blue suit and pink tie, sat with his head bowed at the defence table as the jury forewoman read “guilty” 18 times for each count faced by him and his two co-defendants.

The verdict, delivered in Manhattan federal court, came after approximately 12½ hours of deliberations over three days. It concluded a nine-week trial that exposed how Menendez exploited his role as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to cater to the interests of men who lavished him and his wife with gold, cash, and gifts, including a Mercedes-Benz convertible.

“Mr. Menendez sold the power of his office,” prosecutor Paul Monteleone told jurors during the government’s closing statement. “It wasn’t enough for him to be one of the most powerful people in Washington. He wanted to use that power to accumulate wealth for himself and his wife.”

Menendez accepted cash and gold bars from business people and representatives from the Egyptian and Qatari governments. U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP

Menendez’s conviction has intensified calls for the three-term senator, who has proclaimed his innocence and suggested he was targeted due to his prominence as a Latino, to resign from Congress. His indictment last September affected his political career, as he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) and has announced plans to run as an independent candidate in the November general election.

Federal agents found cash in a jacket during a search of Menendez’s home. U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP

Facing decades in prison, with some counts carrying potential sentences of up to 20 years, Menendez is scheduled for sentencing on October 29. This trial marks Menendez’s second time confronting federal corruption charges. A previous case in New Jersey, involving accusations of accepting lavish bribes for favours to a Palm Beach doctor, ended in a mistrial in 2017.

The charges in the Manhattan case included bribery, extortion, obstructing justice, and acting as an illegal foreign agent. Menendez’s defence argued that his wife, Nadine, had kept him uninformed about her dealings with co-defendants Wael Hana and Fred Daibes.

A businessman testified that he bought Menendez’s wife Nadine a Mercedes. AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File

Prosecutors, however, detailed a series of actions Menendez took between 2018 and 2022 to benefit his associates, including aiding a disgraced New Jersey insurance broker who bought Nadine a Mercedes-Benz C-300 in exchange for Menendez’s help in halting state criminal investigations. As revealed in trial testimony, Menendez allegedly pressured New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to address an active criminal probe at the broker’s request.

Businessman Wael Hana reportedly funnelled hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold to Menendez. At the same time, the senator assisted Egypt, including ghostwriting a letter to unfreeze $300 million in military aid. In exchange, Hana secured a no-show job for Nadine worth $120,000 annually.

Co-defendant Wael Hana arriving at Manhattan federal court on July 10, 2024. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Evidence showed that Menendez traded gold bars and cash in attempts to influence a federal bank fraud case against Daibes and arrange a meeting between Daibes and a member of Qatar’s ruling family. Serial numbers on gold bars in the Menendezes’ safe linked them to Daibes, while cash envelopes bore fingerprints tying them to him and Hana.

Federal prosecutors accused Menendez of blaming his wife for the bribes. Elizabeth Williams via AP

Menendez arriving at court on July 10, 2024. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Menendez’s lawyers contended that the prosecution overemphasized the use of gold and cash to compensate for a weak case that lacked substantial evidence that Menendez had engaged in official acts in return for bribes. His defence team also highlighted his long-standing distrust of banks, attributed to his Cuban heritage, as explained by his sister during testimony.

Nadine Menendez, 57, is set to face trial separately after her case was postponed to allow her recovery from breast cancer.