Quick Hit:

According to AP News, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has been convicted of all charges in his corruption trial, including accepting bribes in the form of cash, gold, and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen.

Key Details:

• Menendez was convicted on charges including bribery and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt.
• Found with gold bars worth $150,000, cash totaling $480,000, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible.
• Two businessmen were convicted; another pleaded guilty and testified against Menendez.

Diving Deeper:

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was convicted on Tuesday of all charges at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold, cash, and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen, and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt.

The verdict follows a nine-week trial where prosecutors argued that Menendez abused his power to protect allies and enrich associates, including his wife, through various corrupt acts. These acts included meetings with Egyptian intelligence officials and facilitating U.S. military aid to Egypt.

Menendez, 70, did not testify, maintaining that he was performing his duties as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman. He claimed the gold bars found in his New Jersey home by the FBI belonged to his wife, Nadine Menendez, who also faces charges but had her trial postponed due to breast cancer surgery. She has pleaded not guilty.

Delivered at a Manhattan federal courthouse, the verdict arrives four months before Election Day, likely ending Menendez’s reelection campaign as an independent.

This trial marks the second time Menendez faced corruption allegations. A 2017 prosecution on unrelated charges resulted in a deadlocked jury.

The investigation began with a June 2022 FBI raid on Menendez’s home in Englewood Cliffs, where agents found gold bars, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible. Prosecutors contended these were bribes, while defense lawyers argued that the gold belonged to his wife and that Menendez kept cash at home due to his parents' experiences fleeing Cuba.

Menendez was also accused of using his Senate position to benefit Egypt, providing information about U.S. Embassy staff in Cairo and pushing for the release of $300 million in military aid to Egypt. Prosecutors presented texts between Nadine Menendez and an Egyptian general, indicating her role as a conduit to her husband.

Charges against Menendez included bribery, extortion, fraud, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. Co-defendants Wael Hana and Fred Daibes were also convicted, while another businessman, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and testified against them.

Prosecutors traced serial numbers on the gold bars and fingerprints on the cash stacks to Hana and Daibes, with some fingerprints belonging to Menendez. In exchange for bribes, Menendez allegedly took actions to benefit these businessmen, including helping Hana secure a monopoly to certify meat for Egypt and interfering in Daibes' bank fraud prosecution.

Menendez's political career began in 1974, serving on Union City’s education board, followed by the state legislature, the U.S. House in 1992, and the Senate in 2006. He was previously indicted in 2015 for accepting bribes from a Florida eye doctor, a case that ended in a mistrial.