In
a
shocking
turn
of
events,
United
States
Senator
Bob
Menendez,
a
Democrat
from
New
Jersey
and
a
known
critic
of
Bitcoin
and
cryptocurrencies,
has
been

convicted

in
a
major
bribery
scandal.
Menendez
is
accused
of
collecting
payments
in
return
for
using
his
influence
to
support
the
interests
of
foreign
countries,
which
has
raised
crucial
worries
about
high-level
governmental
corruption.

 

Bitcoin
Critic
Faces
Potential
Jail
Term
For
Bribery
Crimes

Specifically,
Bob
Menendez,
the
popular
US
Senator,
was
found
guilty
on
16
counts
related
to
a
scheme
in
which
he
took
bribes
for
aiding
foreign
governments,
including
fiat
currencies,
gold
bars,
and
a
luxury
car.
With
his
conviction,
Menendez’s
political
career
took
a
sharp
turn,
given
his
negative
stand
against
Bitcoin
and
other

digital
currencies.

US
Attorney
Damian
Williams

stated

that
Menendez
was
found
guilty
of
the
crimes
by
a
jury
after
a
series
of
trials.
He
further
noted
that
there
have
always
been
shockingly
high
degrees
of
corruption
in
the
case,
underling
Menendez’s
actions
as
politics
for
profit,
unlike
politics
as
usual.

It
is
worth
noting
that
the
sentencing
of
the
US
Senator
will
be
overseen
by
Judge
Stein,
which
has
been
scheduled
for
later
this
year,
particularly
on
October
29.
Given
the
magnitude
of
the
crimes,
Menendez
could
end
up
spending
decades
behind
bars.
Democratic
leaders
are
already
demanding
the
Senator’s
resignation
from
Congress.

Currently,
the
Public
Corruption
Unit
of
the
Office
is
handling
the
case.
The
prosecution
is
led
by
Special
Assistant
U.S.
Attorney
Christina
Clark,
along
with
Paralegal
Specialists
Connor
Hamill,
Rachel
Wechsler,
and
Braden
Florczyk.
Assistant
U.S.
Attorneys
Eli
J.
Mark,
Paul
Monteleoni,
Lara
Pomerantz,
Daniel
C.
Richenthal,
and
Catherine
Ghosh
are
also
involved
in
the
case.

 

Crypto
Community
Reactions
To
The
US
Senator’s
Actions

This
development
has
garnered
approval
within
the

crypto

community,
as
the
Senator, who
has
openly
opposed
digital
assets
like
Bitcoin
and
others,
now
faces
serious
legal
ramifications. 

Particularly,
the
community
is
criticizing
Menendez
due
to
his
statement
in
2017,
where
he
called

Bitcoin

the
“ideal
choice
for
criminals,”
due
to
the
anonymous
nature
of
BTC
transactions
while
endorsing
traditional
banking
methods.
Meanwhile,
years
later
the
Senator
has
been
found
guilty
of
several
crimes
associated
with
the
same
method
he
endorses.

Menendez
made
the
claim
in
a
letter
to
the
Financial
Crimes
Enforcement
Network
(FinCEN)
in
2017
about
Bitcoin’s
involvement
as
ransomware
in
the
Equifax
hack,
which
began
in
March
and
lasted
until
the
end
of
July
before
the
credit
reporting
agency
discovered
it.

The
letter
read:

Because
of
the
anonymous
nature
of
Bitcoin
transactions,
the
digital
currency
is
an
ideal
choice
for
criminals.
The
Internet
presents
a
formidable
obstacle
to
law
enforcement,
with
new
bad
actors
constantly
replacing
those
who
have
been
apprehended.
Nonetheless,
we
have
a
responsibility
to
do
everything
within
our
power
to
remain
vigilant
and
prevent
harm
wherever
possible.

At
the
time,
the

US
Senator

wrote
the
letter
in
response
to
cybercriminals
who
requested
that
Equifax
send
them
600
BTC
in
order
to
destroy
the
stolen
personal
data
of
more
than
half
of
the
country’s
population.

Featured
image
from
Shutterstock,
chart
from
Tradingview.com

Go to Source
Author: Godspower Owie

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