The jury that discovered former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) responsible of corruption was by chance proven improper proof, although the error shouldn’t imperil his conviction, federal prosecutors stated Wednesday.
Menendez resigned from the Senate in August after he was convicted on all 16 counts he confronted, together with bribery and appearing as a international agent. He has maintained his innocence and vowed to attraction.
The federal government now says that 9 displays proven to jurors throughout deliberations displayed materials that ought to have been redacted, after the laptop computer they used to view proof was inadvertently loaded with different variations.
Assistant U.S. Legal professional Paul Monteleoni wrote in a courtroom submitting that neither prosecutors nor protection attorneys observed the error and that the unredacted content material probably didn’t influence the jurors’ verdict.
Actually, Monteleoni stated it is “extraordinarily unlikely” jurors even “became aware” of the wrong exhibit variations whereas deliberating, making it “inappropriate” to conduct a brand new trial over the error.
“In sum, no action is required due to all parties’ inadvertent oversight,” Monteleoni stated.
The Hill requested remark from Menendez’s lawyer.
Menendez’s sentencing is about for Jan. 29.
As soon as chair of the highly effective Senate Overseas Relations Committee, the New Jersey Democrat now stares down a long time in jail after jurors decided he engaged in widespread corruption, from accepting luxurious bribes in trade for his political clout to appearing as a international agent of Egypt.
