A federal jury in New York found Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, who represents the state of New Jersey in the US upper house, guilty on Tuesday (16) of 16 corruption charges. The sentence will be announced on October 29.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors had accused Menendez of accepting bribes in gold and cash from three New Jersey businessmen, acting as a foreign agent to help the Egyptian government obtain military aid from the United States and using his position to shield allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates.
The senator says he is innocent and will appeal the sentence. “I have never been anything other than a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent,” Menendez said.
The Democrat claimed he was simply doing his job as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and that the gold bars found by the FBI at his New Jersey home belonged to his wife, Nadine Menendez.
The senator’s wife was also indicted, but her trial was delayed due to surgery she underwent to remove breast cancer. She also maintains her innocence. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, called for Menendez’s resignation after the verdict was announced.
Menendez, now 70, could face a lengthy sentence: The most serious charges he was convicted of each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Two New Jersey businessmen were found guilty of bribery in the same trial.
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