In his federal corruption trial, Sen. Bob Menendez has been found guilty of all charges.

Federal prosecutors in New York alleged that the New Jersey Democrat received hundreds of thousands in bribes, including cash, gold bars and mortgage payments, in exchange for his political clout. The alleged recipients were three New Jersey businessmen, who were also accused, as well as the governments of Egypt, and Qatar. Wael Daibes and Fred Daibes were two of the co-defendants who were convicted on all counts.

The jury deliberated for approximately 13 hours in three days.

Menendez: ‘I’ve never been an agent of a foreign country.’

Menendez has pleaded not-guilty to 16 federal charges, including bribery and fraud as well as acting as an agent of a foreign country. He plans to appeal the verdict and is “deeply dismayed” by it.

He said, “I never violated my oath,” outside the courthouse on Tuesday. “I’ve never done anything other than be a patriot for my country.” I have never been a spy.

What will happen to Menendez’s Senate seat after his conviction?

He said that the jury decision “puts at risk all members of the United States Senate, in terms of their perception of what a foreign agent is.”

Menendez has not responded to the question of whether he plans to resign.

The sentence is set for October 29. He faces a prison term of many years.

Resignation calls

Menendez does not have to resign, despite his conviction. However, he could be expelled.

After the verdict, Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for his resignation.

He said: “In light this guilty verdict, Sen. Menendez now must do what is right and fair for his constituents, our country and the Senate and resign,”

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Menendez’s New Jersey counterpart and Sen. Cory Booker. Phil Murphy also called for Menendez’s immediate resignation. Murphy has said that if the senator does not vacate his position, he will ask the U.S. Senate for him to be expelled.

The Senate Ethics Committee has said that it will “promptly complete” the investigation it began into Menendez when allegations first surfaced.

The committee stated that it would consider “the full range of disciplinary measures available under the Rules of Procedure,” including expulsion and censure.

The conviction does not require him to resign, but he could be expelled.

“Shocking levels corruption”

After the verdict, U.S. attorney Damian Williams whose office prosecuted this case said that “this has always been about shocking amounts of corruption.”

“Hundreds of thousands in bribes including gold, cash and a Mercedes-Benz. Williams stated in a press release that this wasn’t just politics as usual, but politics for profit. Williams said in a statement that now that Menendez was found guilty, the years he spent selling his office at a profit to anyone who would pay him have come to an abrupt end. Corruption is not free: it damages public trust and undermines the rule-of-law. We’re committed to fighting corruption, regardless of the political party.

The prosecution claimed that Menendez, 70 years old, “sold his power” for gold, money-filled envelopes, checks for his wife’s no-show work, and a Mercedes convertible. Prosecutors said the FBI discovered gold bars and over $400,000 stashed in jackets, shoes and other places throughout his house.

“It was not enough that he be one of Washington’s most powerful people,” said federal prosecutor Paul Monteleoni during his closing arguments on July 8th. Robert Menendez wanted that power, and he wanted to use it for his own benefit and the benefit of his wife.

Defense called DOJ’s case a ‘cherry picked nonsense’

The defense, on the other hand, maintained that Menendez was entitled to all the actions listed in the indictment and that the prosecutors had failed to prove that he received any bribes.

Adam Fee, the defense attorney, mocked the prosecution’s case during his closing argument. He called it “cherry-picked rubbish” and accused the prosecutors of “fudging the facts”.

Fee told the jury that on July 9, “The only fair verdict I can give is to acquit [him] on all counts.” “His actions are legal, normal, and good for this country.”

Menendez refused to testify for his own defense. On July 3, after the defense rested their case, he told reporters that “from my perspective, the Government has failed to prove all aspects of its case.”

He said that he was expecting his lawyers to make a “strong and convincing summary” of the case and that he would be found not guilty by the jury.

New Jersey businessmen and Menendez’s spouse charged in case

Prosecutors informed the jury that Menendez had promised to use his influence to help Egypt. Hana, an American businessman who is a friend of Menendez’s wife Nadine and a New Jersey resident, brokered the deal, according to the indictment. Hana was a New Jersey native, Hana.

Menendez is also accused of receiving an $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible as a reward for helping to disrupt a case brought by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

The prosecution said that Jose Uribe who had pleaded guilty to the case in the spring of 2019 gave Nadine $15,000 cash which she used as an initial payment on the car. She sent Menendez a text saying, “Congratulations.” According to prosecutors, “We are proud owners of 2019 Mercedes.” Uribe continued to make the monthly payments, according to prosecutors.

The prosecution claims that Sen. Bob Menendez sold his power to the highest bidder in a bribery case

Prosecutors claim that the senator made a promise to a third businessman named Daibes. He promised Daibes that he would interfere in Daibes federal prosecution, and support the Qatari government by supporting a Senate Resolution praising Qatar.

According to prosecutors, Daibes fingerprints were discovered on the envelopes containing cash that was found in Menendez’s house. Serial numbers on gold bars also led prosecutors to Daibes or Hana.

During two months of testimony the jury heard Menendez’s sister Caridad Gonzalez explain why he was caught with wads in cash stuffed inside his embroidered congressional coat: “It is a Cuban tradition,” Caridad Gonzalez explained.

The defense told jurors Menendez’s wife, who is also charged in this case, lived a separate life and that she had financial worries that she kept hidden from her husband.

Daibes pleaded guilty and Hana denied their charges. Uribe, who testified in the trial against the defendants, pleaded guilty.

Due to a medial issue, Menendez’s wife will be tried separately on August.