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Cases involving Democratic politicians, administrations, judges, organizations, or campaigns.
5 cases · sorted by evidence score
Sen. Bob Menendez — Federal Bribery and Foreign-Agent Conviction
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York indicted sitting Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in 2023. They said he used his office to help the governments of Egypt and Qatar and three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for bribes — gold bars, more than $480,000 in cash, mortgage payments, and a Mercedes-Benz. A jury convicted him on all 16 counts on July 16, 2024, making him the first member of Congress convicted of conspiring to act as a foreign agent. He resigned in August 2024 and was sentenced to 11 years in January 2025. His wife Nadine was convicted separately in 2025. Menendez says he is innocent and is appealing.
Former Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan — Federal Bribery Conviction
Michael Madigan, the longest-serving state legislative speaker in U.S. history, was indicted in 2022 on racketeering, bribery, and related counts. The charges centered on a scheme in which Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) funneled payments to his allies in exchange for favorable legislation. After a trial that began in December 2024, a jury convicted him on February 12, 2025, on 10 of 23 counts, acquitting on some and deadlocking on the overarching racketeering count. He was sentenced to 7.5 years in March 2025 and began serving in October 2025; the Seventh Circuit upheld the conviction in April 2026, calling the evidence 'overwhelming.'
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick — COVID-Fraud Indictment and Ethics Findings
The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) in December 2023 over campaign-finance and disclosure issues. In November 2025 a federal grand jury indicted her, alleging she stole and laundered $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds through her family's healthcare company and moved money into the campaign she won by five votes. She pleaded not guilty. A bipartisan House Ethics Committee found her responsible on 25 of 27 charges in March 2026, and she resigned on April 21, 2026, minutes before an expulsion hearing. The federal criminal case is still pending.
Mayor Eric Adams — Federal Bribery Case and the DOJ Dismissal Controversy
A federal grand jury indicted sitting New York City Mayor Eric Adams in September 2024 on five counts. Prosecutors said he took over $100,000 in travel benefits from Turkish-linked figures and ran a straw-donor scheme to get public matching funds. Adams pleaded not guilty. In February 2025 the Trump DOJ ordered the charges dropped; acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon and several senior prosecutors resigned rather than comply, and Sassoon alleged an improper quid pro quo tied to immigration enforcement. Judge Dale Ho dismissed the case with prejudice in April 2025, declining to rule on guilt but calling the DOJ's rationale a 'bargain.'
Rep. Henry Cuellar — Foreign-Bribery Indictment and 2025 Pardon
In May 2024 the Justice Department indicted Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and his wife Imelda on 12 counts of bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy. Prosecutors said the couple took roughly $600,000 from an Azerbaijan-linked oil company and a Mexican bank in exchange for official acts. Two Cuellar advisers pleaded guilty to a related money-laundering conspiracy. Both Cuellars pleaded not guilty. On December 3, 2025, President Trump pardoned them before trial, ending the case with no verdict; a pardon is not a finding of guilt or innocence.