The wife of former New Jersey Democratic senator Bob Menendez, Nadine Menendez, has been found guilty in the same bribery scheme that led to his conviction and resignation.
The pair was accused of selling political favors to foreign governments in exchange for gold bars, cash, and a Mercedes vehicle.
The former senator, who sat on the powerful Foreign Affairs committee, stepped down after he was convicted in August of acting as a foreign agent for Egypt and Qatar.
On Monday, a jury in New York found his wife guilty on all 15 counts, including bribery, extortion and obstruction of justice, following a trial that lasted almost a month.
One of the witnesses, who pled guilty, businessman Jose Uribe, gave Nadine a $60,000 Mercedez after she totaled her car in a crash that killed a pedestrian. She was never charged in the deadly incident.
Another participant in the scheme helped pay for Nadine's mortgage as she was facing the loss of her home.
"We are devastated by the verdict. Speaking for myself, I am devastated by the verdict. But, I want to emphasize, that we respect the criminal justice system, we respect this court," her defense lawyer Barry Coburn said.
During his own trial, lawyers for the former senator tried to blame his Lebanese-born wife, painting her as the mastermind in the foreign agent scheme.
But prosecutors said they were "partners in crime" who worked together to sell his influence.
"Nadine Menendez and Senator Menendez were partners in crime," acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said in a statement following the verdict.
"Over the span of five years, Nadine Menendez agreed to accept and accepted all sorts of bribes -- including gold bars, cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and a no-show job -- all in exchange for the Senator's corrupt official acts. Together, Nadine Menendez and the Senator placed their own interests and greed ahead of the interests of the citizens the Senator was elected to serve."
"Today's verdict sends the clear message that the power of government officials may not be put up for sale, and that all those who facilitate corruption will be held accountable for their actions," he added.
Initially, Menendez and his wife were going to be tried together, but their prosecutions were split up after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Nadine will be sentenced in June, the same month that her husband is scheduled to begin his 11-year sentence in federal prison.
