A jury found New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez guilty on all 16 counts Tuesday following deliberations that spanned parts of three days in a high-profile bribery trial.
Menendez remained defiant after the verdict.
"I have never violated my public oath," Menendez said outside of courthouse while promising to file an appeal.
During the two-month trial in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors successfully argued the 70-year-old Democratic congressman "put his power up for sale" in accepting cash, gold bars, luxury wristwatches, and other perks from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official favors that benefited the businessmen as well as the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
Shortly after the verdict, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Menendez to "do what is right" and resign.
In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 16, 2024
"It wasn't enough for him to be one of the most powerful people in Washington," prosecutor Paul Monteleoni said in his closing statement, according to ABC News. "Robert Menendez wanted all that power and he also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife."
Menendez, a career politician, denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to bribery, fraud, acting as a foreign agent and obstruction. He declined to testify in his defense.
While prosecutors accused the lawmaker of "corruption on a massive scale," Menendez's attorney Adam Fee argued he "was doing his job, and he was doing it well," NBC News reported.
During a raid of Menendez's New Jersey home in 2022, officers recovered $480,000 in cash, while another $70,000 was found in his wife, Nadine Menendez's, safety deposit box.
Nadine's corruption trial has been postponed indefinitely while she battles grade 3 breast cancer.
This is not the senator's first brush with legal trouble. In 2015, he was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and making false statements. The case ended in a mistrial and all charges were dropped, however, the Senate Ethics Committee "severely admonished" Menendez for his actions.
Menendez announced last month he plans to run for re-election as an independent.
Sentencing for the conviction will be held on Oct. 29, just days before the election.
