U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was convicted on 16 corruption charges Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, including charges that the longtime Democrat accepted extensive bribes and acted as a foreign agent for the Egyptian and Qatari regimes.
[RELATED: Dem Senator Indicted Over Alleged Bribery Scheme…]
Sen. Menendez, who has long been dogged by allegations of corruption and misconduct, including reports that he hired underage prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, was indicted in September after evidence surfaced that he had been accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and had been leveraging his political position to benefit New Jersey businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
Following the indictment, police discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash bribes at Menendez’s house, along with gold bars and a luxury Mercedes convertible, which had been purchased for the senator as a bribe.
Menendez, who remains a sitting Democrat senator, will be sentenced for his 16 felonies in October.
Although some Democratic Senators, such as Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, called for Menendez’s resignation immediately following the charges, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer only said the New Jersey pol should call it quits after his conviction on Tuesday.
Throughout the trial, Menendez attempted to defend himself by claiming that his wife, Nadine Menendez, was the mastermind behind the bribery and corruption and argued that he was unaware of the full scheme.
Nadine is set to be tried at a later date due to medical complications.
Despite the corruption conviction, Menendez remains free to continue in his capacity as senator and can even run for re-election, unless the Senate votes with a two-thirds majority to remove him.
If he is removed by a Senate vote, his seat will be filled temporarily by someone appointed by New Jersey Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy.
There is a significant chance that the 70-year-old Menendez will spend the rest of his life in prison, as his crimes carry a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison.
During sentencing, he could also be forbidden by the judge from holding future public office due to his bribery charges and could be forced to surrender the gold bars and cash which he earned through his bribery scheme.
Menendez was convicted alongside two businessmen who bribed him, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, who are set to be sentenced with the senator.
