https://apnews.com/eb363bafcb79413e9ff3e100c6d24d24

A prominent Florida eye doctor accused of political corruption was convicted of Medicare fraud Friday, increasing the odds that federal prosecutors could pressure him to testify against New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.

Dr. Salomon Melgen faces 15 to 20 years in prison on 67 counts, including health care fraud, submitting false claims and falsifying records in patients' files, if he doesn't strike a deal before his sentencing, scheduled for July 14.

The doctor, 62, collected more money from Medicare than any other physician in the nation — $21 million — at the height of the fraud in 2012.

Prosecutors convinced jurors the doctor stole up to $105 million from the federal medical insurance program between 2008 and 2013 by performing unneeded tests and treatments on mostly elderly and disabled patients.

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey say Melgen's gifts to Menendez were actually bribes. In return, they say, the senator obtained visas for the married Melgen's foreign mistresses, interceded with Medicare officials investigating his practice, and pressured the State Department to intervene in a business dispute Melgen had with the Dominican government.

Melgren and Menendez face trial on Sept. 6 in New Jersey on charges the doctor bribed the senator for favors, including intervention in the fraud probe.

"FLORIDA!!!"...Say it isn't so

Menendez is going down too!

Menendez is from my former county. Everyone knew he was dirty but as a Democrat, they never touched him. He still makes speeches whining about the Republicans like he's the cleanest politician in the bunch. When he does get convicted, he'll still claim he did nothing wrong.

update now on Sen Menendez trial

http://www.powerlineblog.com/a...menendez-scandal.php

Earlier this week, former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified in the corruption trial of former Senator Robert Menendez. According to Sebelius, she was pulled into an “unusual” meeting regarding an $8.9 million billing dispute between Menendez’s friend and benefactor, Dr. Salomon Melgen, and Medicare. The meeting occurred in the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, with Reid present.

Though Dr. Melgen’s name apparently wasn’t mentioned during the meeting, Menendez tried to persuade Sebelius to change the applicable billing policy. Melgen apparently was the only provider demanding a change in this policy and involved in a payment dispute over it. Moreover, Sebelius knew he was a crony of Menendez. That’s why, according to her testimony, she avoided Menendez. Thus, Sebelius understood what the New Jersey Senator wanted, and why.

According to her testimony, Sebelius’ staff had advised her to ignore Menendez’s calls and to let lower-level staff rebuff his requests for a meeting.

Why, then, did the meeting occur? Sebelius testified that she granted on the request of Harry Reid.

According to Sebelius, Reid’s request was unprecedented. She testified:

It was unusual for Senator Reid to ask me to come to a meeting involving another member of Congress. I think this was the only time in five and a half years that that occurred.

Dr. Melgen, on whose behalf Menendez wanted to meet with the HHS Secretary, was a major donor not just to the New Jersey Senator, but to other Senate Democrats as well:

Menendez wasn’t Melgen’s only target for donations, even in the US Senate; he poured money into the coffers for Bill Nelson (FL), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Tom Harkin, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — $30,400 in 2009. Even Kendrick Meek got a taste in Florida’s 2010 special election that resulted in Marco Rubio’s election. Reid certainly knew where that money originated. . . .

The prosecution reportedly has decided not to call Reid as a witness, presumably because it fears he will find a way to help his old crony. It will rely on Sebelius’ account of the meeting in question.

It’s not clear whether the defense will call Reid

*******************

have been reading about Menendez / Melgen for a long time. Menendez is dirty as hell.

quote:

Originally posted by rscalzo:
Menendez is from my former county. Everyone knew he was dirty but as a Democrat, they never touched him. He still makes speeches whining about the Republicans like he's the cleanest politician in the bunch. When he does get convicted, he'll still claim he did nothing wrong.

But, he will be doing it from prison, I hope.

quote:

Originally posted by rscalzo:
Menendez is from my former county. Everyone knew he was dirty but as a Democrat, they never touched him. He still makes speeches whining about the Republicans like he's the cleanest politician in the bunch. When he does get convicted, he'll still claim he did nothing wrong.

And the liberal masses, who demonize Trump for stepping on a crack in the sidewalk, will believe swallow the Menendez kool-aid.

quote:

Originally posted by mrmn50:

quote:

Originally posted by rscalzo:
Menendez is from my former county. Everyone knew he was dirty but as a Democrat, they never touched him. He still makes speeches whining about the Republicans like he's the cleanest politician in the bunch. When he does get convicted, he'll still claim he did nothing wrong.

But, he will be doing it from prison, I hope.

AMEN brother! Like Robert Torricelli....

this doesn't sound good

https://hotair.com/archives/20...ry-charges-jeopardy/

After prosecutors finished their case with a rehash of the FBI investigator’s testimony, Menendez attorney Abbe Lowell filed the expected motion to dismiss — and Judge William Walls seemed open to the suggestion.

Judge Walls said that he interpreted Chief Justice Roberts’s ruling as invalidating the “stream of benefits” theory of bribery, which says that a bribe can occur if one party offers a thing of value to keep the other party on retainer, essentially, rather than a more straightforward trade.

“The point is this: Does ‘stream of benefits’ still live?” Judge Walls said to Peter Koski, the lead prosecutor in the case. “If ‘stream of benefits’ still lives, then you still have a chance. You still have a chance even if ‘stream of benefits’ doesn’t live, particularly with regards to false reports.” …

Judge Walls quickly stated that he believed all four interactions charged as official acts – when Mr. Menendez intervened in visa applications, two separate instances of trying to help resolve a port security contract, and intervening in a Medicare billing dispute – met the standard set by the McDonnell decision.

Where he seemed to indicate the government’s case was faltering was, in the absence of a ‘stream of benefits’ theory, how it could prove the quid pro quo necessary in a bribery case.

Walls’ argument is novel, as Koski pointed out, even in light of McDonnell. The decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts does not even address the “stream of benefits” theory of bribery. Roberts’ decision to dismiss the charges in the case of former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell had to do with defining “official acts,” not the correlation of benefits — and Walls has already agreed that Menendez’ actions qualify as official relating to his office. What Walls seems to be missing is a direct link between specific benefits to specific actions, and may be reluctant to see the “stream of benefits” as proof of bribery for a correlated “stream of actions,” so to speak, no matter how official they may be.

Apparently Menendez found/bought the right judge for him.

Everything about Menendez says dirty slimy snake.

This is another case that illustrates the difficulties prosecutors encounter when trying to charge, and prove beyond a reasonable doubt, each and every element of the statutorily defined (and judicially refined) crime, and the resulting caution (reluctance) to bring such cases in very high profile situations.

quote:

Originally posted by sdy:
...between 2008 and 2013...

...and pressured the State Department to intervene in a business dispute Melgen had with the Dominican government.

Who was in charge of the State Department back then?

good news

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/...ion-charges-n2395805

A federal judge on Monday refused to dismiss any of the 18 criminal counts against U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, clearing the way for the pair's bribery trial to enter the defense phase.


Defense attorneys had argued a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the conviction of former Virginia governor Robert McDonnell narrowed the scope of federal bribery law to exclude the acts with which Menendez and Melgen were charged.

U.S. District Judge William H. Walls had postponed ruling on a motion to dismiss until after hearing all the evidence put forward by the prosecution, which rested Wednesday after six weeks of testimony in Newark.

When does Gov. Christie leave office? Let's get an R appointed!! He owes us one solid before he leaves!

Who could he appoint that would piss off the Demcrats?

HK Ag

quote:

Originally posted by HK Ag:
When does Gov. Christie leave office? Let's get an R appointed!! He owes us one solid before he leaves!

Who could he appoint that would piss off the Demcrats?

HK Ag

Joe Piscopo?

Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.....

quote:

Originally posted by HK Ag:
When does Gov. Christie leave office? Let's get an R appointed!! He owes us one solid before he leaves!

Who could he appoint that would piss off the Demcrats?

HK Ag

Can he appoint himself? He is going to be out of a job soon and will be looking for something to do.

How does Joe Piscopo feel about the 2nd Amendment?

[/QUOTE]


How does Joe Piscopo feel about the 2nd Amendment?[/QUOTE]

PRO 2A
But the senate and Assembly is all library asswholes.