Munger, Tolles & Olson Partner Jonathan Kravis Quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Other Publications Discussing the Corruption Trial of Senator Robert Menendez

Munger, Tolles & Olson partner Jonathan Kravis spoke to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets about the various legal issues at play in the upcoming corruption trial of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez.

Senator Menendez is accused of participating in a bribery scheme in which he allegedly accepted gold bars, cash and a luxury car in exchange for his influence to aid several businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar. His wife, Nadine Menendez, also faces related charges in a separate jury trial. Both Senator Menendez and his wife have pled not guilty.

Having worked as a prominent federal prosecutor and trial attorney, Mr. Kravis provided media outlets with valuable insight gained over years of service as deputy chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and as a trial attorney in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section. Mr. Kravis told The New York Times that even if Senator Menendez were to try to shift blame for the alleged offenses to his wife in his trial, as some have speculated, such testimony would almost certainly be inadmissible at her trial.

In another article, Mr. Kravis noted that the 16-count indictment filed against Senator Menedez includes allegations that he attempted to obstruct an investigation into his alleged bribery scheme. Mr. Kravis stated that in general, evidence that a defendant attempted to conceal evidence or obstruct an investigation can help reinforce underlying corruption charges.

“Obstruction evidence is often good evidence of corrupt intent,” Mr. Kravis said. He also said the corruption trial could hinge on the unsettled question of whether Senator Menendez took government actions because of the bribes, and that his testimony at trial could sway the jury one way or another on that issue. “I think a lot of the Menendez case could come down to how the testimony goes, how the jury assesses his credibility,” Kravis said.

Read Mr. Kravis’ full comments in articles published by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Politico and New Jersey Monitor. (Subscriptions may be required)