US Sen Menendez found guilty of corruption

NEW YORK

U.S. jurors found Sen. Bob Menendez guilty on all counts of corruption on July 16 after gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were found at his home, prosecutors have said, sparking calls for his resignation.

Menendez, a 70-year-old Democrat from New Jersey, was charged with extortion, obstruction of justice and accepting bribes to perform favors for businessmen with connections to Egypt and Qatar and will be sentenced on Oct. 29.

Menendez has vowed to appeal the verdict.

A spokesman for the Southern District of New York prosecutor's office said the total combined charges carry a maximum potential sentence of 222 years in prison.

The counts on which Menendez was convicted after less than three days of jury deliberations included conspiracy to commit bribery, acting as a foreign agent while a public official, and obstruction of justice.

Menendez said outside court, "I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent."

Menendez, who said in June he would run as an independent in November's election, is a career politician and led the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee until the charges were filed. He remains a sitting senator.

"In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

In a raid on Menendez's New Jersey home, FBI agents were said to have found nearly $500,000 in cash hidden around the house, as well as gold bars worth around $150,000 and a luxury Mercedes-Benz convertible.

Menendez is also known for his opposition on U.S. F-16 sales to Türkiye. In February, The U.S. Congress gave its final approval for the sale under a $23 billion deal. Under the deal, Türkiye is set to receive 40 new F-16s and upgrades to 79 of its existing fleet.