A Manhattan federal jury Tuesday convicted Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey on all 16 counts in a bribery and corruption case.

As NJBIZ has reported, Menendez, 70, and his wife, Nadine, 57, stood accused of taking bribes and gifts from several businessmen in exchange for favors, such as help securing deals with foreign leaders and more. Among the gifts: the now-notorious gold bars found during an FBI raid of the Menendez home.

The verdict comes after a hard-fought case over the last few weeks. A jury found Menendez guilty on counts including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt – while helming the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Two co-defendants – businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes – also received convictions. Nadine Menendez has been charged, too, but her trial is postponed as she deals with a health situation.

“Moments ago, a jury in this courthouse convicted Sen. Robert Menendez of corruption and national security offenses,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams  following the verdict. “This case has always been about shocking levels of corruption – hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, in the form of cash, gold bars, and Mercedes Benz.”

Williams, who’s office brought the case, said this was not politics as usual. Prosecutors allege the ploy ran from 2018 to 2022. That’s shortly after another alleged corruption scheme against Menendez ended in acquittal.

‘Politics for profit’

“This was politics for profit. And now that the jury has convicted Bob Menendez, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end,” said Williams. “I want to thank the career prosecutors and law enforcement agents and analysts who meticulously investigated and prosecuted this case. Their work is the reason why this shocking corruption has finally been unearthed and brought to an end. They are the best of the best. I’m enormously proud of them – and proud to serve with them.”

In remarks to reporters, Menendez remained defiant and maintained his innocence.

“Obviously, I’m deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision,” said Menendez. “I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision – and that we will be successful upon appeal. I have never violated my public oath; I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country; I have never, ever been a foreign agent. And the decision rendered by [the] jury today would put at risk every member of the United States Senate – in terms of what they think a foreign agent would be.”

“We were surprised and disappointed with the jury’s verdict,” said Adam Fee, Menendez’s attorney. “We disagree with it. And we believe today – as we have since day one – in Bob’s innocence. There are grave appellate problems with this case and with this verdict. And we’re going to pursue all appellate avenues aggressively – and we do expect he will be vindicated.”

“We are disappointed by the outcome of the trial, but we thank the jury for its service. This has always been an ill-conceived case that wrongfully criminalized Mr. Hana’s longtime friendships and associations, support of his home country, and business successes,” Larry Lustberg, counsel for Hana, told NJBIZ. “The Government’s case was built on convincing the jury to assume the worst about Mr. Hana’s motives and infer criminality based on testimony and evidence that do not support the charges, and we plan to challenge the verdict in post-trial motions and on appeal.”

“We are obviously very disappointed in the verdict. We respect the jury and the jury process but we disagree that the government proved that Mr. Daibes was guilty of the crimes charged and that he paid Senator Menendez, his undisputed friend of approximately 40 years,” Cesar de Castro, an attorney representing Daibes, told NJBIZ in a statement. “Mr. Daibes will be considering his options regarding his next steps in the coming weeks, including post-trial motions and appeal.”

Calls to resign

The verdict prompted renewed calls for Mendez’s resignation from prominent Democrats and others. Among them: Gov. Phil Murphy and, for the first time, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“Today’s verdict finding Sen. Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts demonstrates that the senator broke the law, violated the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office. It also shows that in America, everyone – no matter how powerful – is accountable to our laws. Senator Menendez received a fair trial and due process of law as he was entitled to under our Constitution,” said Murphy, thanking the public servants in the criminal justice system for their service.

“I reiterate my call for Sen. Menendez to resign immediately after being found guilty of endangering national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system,” Murphy continued. “If he refuses to vacate his office, I call on the U.S. Senate to vote to expel him. In the event of a vacancy, I will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve.”

Today’s verdict finding Senator Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts demonstrates that the Senator broke the law, violated the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office.

In America, everyone – no matter how powerful – is accountable to our laws. pic.twitter.com/ljJrQFB2eu

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) July 16, 2024

“In light of this guilty verdict, Sen. Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country – and resign,” Schumer wrote in a social media post.

“This is a dark, painful day for the people of New Jersey,” said Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., in a statement, who stressed the responsibility and oath officials have to uphold the public’s trust. “Senator Menendez was afforded his due process rights and mounted a full defense in a court of law, as every criminal defendant has the constitutional right to do. This verdict means that a jury of Sen. Menendez’s peers, sworn to be impartial, reviewed the evidence and unanimously concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that he had broken the law.”

Booker again called on his counterpart to resign.

“I originally did so last fall because of the severity of the allegations against him and how they shook the public’s trust,’ said Booker. “Now, with this conviction, the urgency for Sen. Menendez to step down and for the governor to appoint a replacement has even more urgency.”

This is a dark, painful day for the people of New Jersey.
– Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29.

Menendez and his co-defendants face potential years in prison. A full look at the counts and maximum penalties is available here.

This story is developing as reaction pours in from around the Garden State. Please stay with NJBIZ for the very latest.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:46 p.m. ET July 16, 2024, to include a statement from Fred Daibes’ attorney.