New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez has pleaded guilty to 16 counts of accepting bribes, including gold bars - worth more than $100 - and a Mercedes-Benz car, in exchange for aid to foreign governments.
Menendez — the former leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — now faces the possibility of decades in prison and possible expulsion from the Democratic Party.
He has declared his innocence throughout the eight-week trial.
His lawyers have said that the gifts he accepted do not qualify as bribes, because prosecutors have failed to prove that he made any specific decision as a result of accepting these assets.
Menendez's wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, also faces charges in the bribery case, but her trial has been postponed so she can undergo treatment for breast cancer.
She also pleaded not guilty.
The senator's lawyers have tried to shift the blame to Ms. Menendez, portraying her as an individual with financial problems, and that she has sought to acquire "cash and assets in any way possible."
Two businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, are also on trial on charges that they approached the senator to convince him to illegally help the Egyptian government and provide millions of dollars from a Qatari investment fund.
A third businessman, Jose Uribe, was found guilty and testified against Senator Menendez in court.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors have used expert testimony, emails and text messages from the senator to prove he was paid by a foreign government. /REL
