Residents of Union City faced the intense 100-degree heat on Tuesday afternoon, while across the Hudson River in Manhattan, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, the city’s former mayor, faced justice.
On the day Menendez was found guilty on all 16 charges in his federal corruption trial, residents of this crowded Hudson County town expressed their belief that the verdict was well-deserved.
Jose Ovalles, a bodega worker, expressed the community’s lost trust in Menendez as he walked down Bergenline Avenue, “People around here don’t believe in him anymore. There was all this love for him, and now it’s gone.”
Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, highlighted the case’s “shocking levels of corruption.” Prosecutors claimed Menendez accepted gold bars, cash, and other bribes from three businessmen, and in return, he did favors for Egypt and Qatar and interfered in two criminal cases to benefit friends and associates.
Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, tried alongside Menendez, were also convicted on all counts.
Menendez’s journey from the son of Cuban immigrants to a convicted felon is a significant fall. He was elected to Union City’s school board at 20 and became an aide to then-mayor William Musto. Menendez eventually testified against Musto in a 1982 racketeering trial, leading to Musto’s conviction and imprisonment.
Menendez then rose to be Union City’s mayor in 1986, was elected to the state Assembly and Senate, and went to Washington D.C. in 1992 to represent parts of Hudson County. In 2006, he became a U.S. senator.
Despite his career advancements, Menendez remained significant in Union City. But on Tuesday, residents seemed ready to move on from the senator.
Kimberly Perez, a 17-year-old Union City student, criticized Menendez’s actions and stated, “Menendez kept saying, ‘They’re coming after me because I’m Latino.’ No, it was him. He better pay for what he did and maybe get forgiveness.”
Omar Roberts, 58, a housekeeper from Venezuela, commented on the broader implications of the scandal outside La Rica deli and grocery store, “You put these people in power to help you. Well, they might do some, but then they do other stuff. We have problems with corruption in South America, too. A guy like Menendez getting caught is better for everybody.”
Deandre Lamar, 49, a tile worker and union member, outside City Hall, reflected on the verdict, “It’s Jersey politics. A senator is supposed to serve the people, and you’re taking bribes? Menendez got away with it for a long time. Until he didn’t.”