Convicted U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and two top aides are asking a federal judge in New York to discard their guilty verdicts, on the grounds that the government failed to prove he used his political influence so people who gave him gifts received something back from it. On Monday, Menendez also filed a separate set of motions along with real estate developer Fred Daibes and halal meat entrepreneur Wael Hana that sought either an acquittal or for a new trial.
Menendez was found guilty July 16 after a nearly two-month trial that included charges he accepted gold bars, cash and other valuables as bribes in exchange for helping Daibes’ business interests along with Hana’s personal dive into the real estate business.
Robert Menendez Acquittal : Legal challenge over bribery conviction
In his own defense brief, Menendez argued that the government offered no proof or even a charge of any explicit deal to exchange official acts for bribes. The government has indicated that it “intends to prove at trial that Senator Menendez entered into several quid pro quo agreements to sell his US Senate office and take official acts” on behalf of Dr. But for all its 10-week trial, the government put up nothing to show evidence of an agreement — just speculation masquerading as inference.
