The wife of disgraced former Democrat Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Nadine Menendez, has been found guilty in the same bribery scheme that led to his conviction and resignation.
The pair was accused of selling political favors to foreign governments in exchange for money and a Mercedes vehicle.
Raids on the couple’s home uncovered a huge stash of gold bars and cash that had been taken as bribes.
The discovery led to the senator earning the nickname “Gold Bar Bob.”
The former senator, who sat on the powerful Foreign Affairs committee, stepped down after he was convicted in August.
He was found guilty of acting as a foreign agent for Egypt and Qatar.
In January, Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
On Monday, a jury in New York found his wife guilty on all 15 counts.
The charges include bribery, extortion, and obstruction of justice.
The verdict came following a trial that lasted almost a month.
One of the witnesses, who pleaded guilty, businessman Jose Uribe, gave Nadine a $60,000 Mercedes.
She received the expensive gift after she totaled her car in a crash that killed a pedestrian.
However, she was never charged in the fatal incident.
Another participant in the scheme helped pay for Nadine’s mortgage as she was facing the loss of her home.
In a statement, her defense lawyer, Barry Coburn, said:
“We are devastated by the verdict.
“Speaking for myself, I am devastated by the verdict.
“But, I want to emphasize that we respect the criminal justice system, we respect this court.”
During his own trial, lawyers for the former senator tried to blame his Lebanon-born wife, painting her as the mastermind in the foreign agent scheme.
But prosecutors said they were “partners in crime” who worked together to sell his influence.
In a statement following the verdict, acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said:
“Nadine Menendez and Senator Menendez were partners in crime.
“Over the span of five years, Nadine Menendez agreed to accept and accepted all sorts of bribes — including gold bars, cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and a no-show job — all in exchange for the Senator’s corrupt official acts.
“Together, Nadine Menendez and the Senator placed their own interests and greed ahead of the interests of the citizens the Senator was elected to serve.”
“Today’s verdict sends the clear message that the power of government officials may not be put up for sale, and that all those who facilitate corruption will be held accountable for their actions,” he added.
Initially, Menendez and his wife were going to be tried together.
However, their prosecutions were split up after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Nadine will be sentenced in June, the same month that her husband is scheduled to begin his 11-year sentence in federal prison.
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