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U.S. NEWS Thursday 1 February 2018

U.S. prosecutors won't retry Menendez on corruption charges

By DAVID PORTER numbers, he retained the tokens of friendship, not
Associated Press full support of the major bribes.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Fed- Democratic players in New Jurors told reporters as
eral prosecutors decided Jersey, including Gov. Phil many as 10 members of the
Wednesday not to retry Murphy. Wednesday's de- panel were in favor of ac-
Sen. Bob Menendez on velopment further solidified quittal on all counts, lead-
corruption charges that his chances in a state that ing many to speculate the
ended in a hung jury last hasn't elected a Republi- government wouldn't pur-
fall, lifting the legal cloud can senator since the 1970s sue a retrial.
hanging over the New Jer- and where Menendez won In throwing out some of the
sey Democrat as he gears by nearly 20 points in 2012. bribery charges, U.S. District
up for re-election this year "It's game over," said Pat- Judge William Walls said
to the closely divided Sen- rick Murray, director of the the government failed to
ate. Monmouth University Poll- show there was an explicit
The move brings to an end ing Institute. "The case is quid pro quo, or "this-for-
a more than five-year in- literally closed, not just in that" agreement, connect-
vestigation that began with federal court but also in ing the campaign contri-
never-substantiated alle- terms of its impact on the butions and Menendez's
gations about consorting campaign." actions. In this Nov. 16, 2017 file photo, Democratic Sen. Bob Menen-
with prostitutes and even- Melgen was convicted sep- Menendez served in the dez becomes emotional as he speaks to reporters in front of the
courthouse in Newark, N.J.
tually resulted in a bribery arately in Florida last spring House from 1992 to 2006, Associated Press
indictment. in a Medicare fraud case taking over Jon Corzine's
Menendez, 64, was that prosecutors amounted Senate seat when Cor- governor. Menendez is a Senate Foreign Relations
charged with trading his to more than $100 million. zine became New Jersey former chairman of the Committee. q
political influence for gifts They are pressing for a 30-
and campaign contribu- year prison sentence. 77 immigrants found in truck
tions from Florida eye doc- The investigation of Menen-
tor Salomon Melgen, 63. dez dated to late 2012 after
Their 11-week trial ended a story appeared on a con- near California-Mexico border
in November with the jury servative website claiming
deadlocked. Menendez and Melgen
"From the very beginning, consorted with prostitutes BOULEVARD, Calif. (AP) bune said, citing a criminal Seiler had been told he
I never wavered in my in- at Melgen's home in the — Seventy-seven people complaint. would be carrying 50 peo-
nocence and my belief Dominican Republic. Three who entered the United When the agent ap- ple in the truck to San Di-
that justice would prevail," women later recanted States illegally were found proached, he saw the truck ego and was surprised to
Menendez said in a state- and said they were paid to packed inside a swelter- was riding low. The agent learn there were 77, the
ment. "I am grateful that make the false claims. ing truck near the Mexico "could smell body odor documents state.
the Department of Jus- The probe widened to ex- border, and the driver was mixed with a distinct type Seiler and two men who
tice has taken the time to amine the relationship be- charged with transporting of pungent soap which is previously had been de-
re-evaluate its case and tween the two men, who people for financial gain, commonly used in Mexico," ported to Mexico were
come to the appropriate have known each other for authorities said. according to the criminal charged Tuesday in San
conclusion." more than 20 years. Five children were among complaint filed Tuesday. Diego federal court with
Prosecutors had said on They were indicted in 2015, those found Monday eve- The records say the driver transporting of "certain
Jan. 19 that they would accused of operating a ning in the cargo area of gave permission for the aliens" for financial gain.
pursue a retrial, but they scheme in which Menendez a brown truck painted to agent to open the truck. The two men also were
abandoned the case after used his clout in exchange resemble a United Parcel Inside, he saw people charged with being de-
the judge last week threw for trips on Melgen's private Service vehicle, authorities sweating and standing portees who were in the
out the bribery charges re- jet to his Dominican resort, said. shoulder-to-shoulder in the country illegally.
lated to the campaign do- a Paris vacation and other The California Highway Pa- hot cargo area, the com- Messages left for Seiler's
nations. Eleven charges re- inducements. trol pulled the truck over plaint said, noting they court-appointed attorney,
mained, including bribery, Prosecutors said Menen- because it had no tags were from Mexico and Nancy Bryn Rosenfeld,
fraud and conspiracy. dez pressured government and was weaving on Old some acknowledged they were not immediately re-
The Justice Department officials on Melgen's be- Highway 80 in Boulevard, had entered the U.S. ille- turned Wednesday.
didn't immediately com- half over a Medicare bill- a tiny desert community in gally. A similar scene greeted au-
ment on the reasons for the ing dispute and a contract San Diego County about The driver, Shawn Lee Seiler, thorities last week in Texas
change in course but men- to provide port screen- five miles from the border. said he was a U.S. citizen, when Border Patrol agents
tioned the judge's ruling ing equipment and also A U.S. Border Patrol agent "stated that he is an alien found 76 immigrants, in-
in its two-sentence memo helped obtain U.S. visas for passing by on patrol smuggler" and expected cluding 13 children, lying
Wednesday. the doctor's girlfriends. stopped and asked the to be paid $100 per im- on the floor or crouched
Though the case weak- The senator's attorneys ar- CHP officer if he would like migrant, according to the against the walls in a trac-
ened Menendez's poll gued Melgen's gifts were assistance, the Union-Tri- complaint. tor-trailer rig. q