By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The jury that convicted Robert Menendez of corruption was allowed to review improper evidence during deliberations, but the error does not justify overturning the former New Jersey senator’s conviction, U.S. prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Menendez, 70, resigned from the U.S. Senate in August after a jury in Manhattan federal court found him guilty of selling his power in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes including gold bars and cash. The once-influential Democrat pleaded not guilty and has vowed to appeal.
In a court filing, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan said nine pieces of evidence jurors used while deliberating displayed material that should have been redacted. The prosecutors said defense lawyers did not notice the mistake either, and that the material likely did not impact the verdict.
“No action need be taken in light of the error,” the prosecutors wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein. “The evidence of guilt in this case was overwhelming.”
Menendez’s lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The former senator was convicted on all 16 counts he faced, which included illegally acting as an agent of the Egyptian government, obstruction of justice, wire fraud and extortion. Jurors needed three days to reach a verdict, after a nine-week trial.
Menendez represented New Jersey and served as the chair of the Senate’s foreign relations committee. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 25, and could face decades behind bars.
New Jersey voters elected Democrat Andy Kim last week to become the state’s junior senator.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York. Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
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