These U.S. Senators Are the Only Ones to Ever Get Indicted

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Robert Menendez Years in Senate: 2006-Present Party: Democrat State: New Jersey After more than a two-year investigation, a federal grand jury indicted Menendez on charges including conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud over his advocacy of business interests of Dr. Salomon Melgen. — Alex Rogers Win McNamee—Getty Images
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Ted Stevens Years in Senate: 1968-2009 Party: Republican State: Alaska One of the country's longest-serving Senators was indicted on July 29, 2008 on seven counts of making false statements on disclosure forms for items he received from a company that helped renovate his house. According to the indictment, these items include a new first floor, garage, wraparound deck, plumbing, car exchanges and a Viking gas grill. Stevens was the most prominent figure in the FBI's investigation of public corruption in Alaska and was convicted on all seven counts on October 27, 2008, but a federal judge later overturned the ruling due to prosecutorial misconduct. — Alex RogersKris Connor—Getty Images
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Kay Bailey Hutchison Years in Senate: 1993-2013 Party: Republican State: Texas After assuming office in 1993, the Texas Senator was indicted on charges of official misconduct due to the misuse of state equipment and employees for her election campaign, as well as tampering with evidence to impede the district attorney's investigation. Hutchison was acquitted of all charges shortly after her trial began, and she still went on to serve in the Senate for twenty years. — James Downie and Baird KelloggRick Kern—WireImage/Getty Images
Former U.S. Senator David Durenberger, (R-MN, 1978-1995), Chair of the National Institute of Health Policy, answers a question during a keynote address titled " The Politics of Health Care" at the 2006 World Health Congress, April 19, 2006 in Washington, DC. Photographer: Chris Greenberg/Bloomberg News
David F. Durenberger Years in Senate: 1978-95 Party: Republican State: Minnesota Like Hutchison, Durenberger was indicted for misuse of public funds; he had requested reimbursement from the Senate for staying at a condominium that he secretly owned. After pleading guilty to five misdemeanors in 1995, prosecutors fined him $1,000 and sentenced him to a year of probation. — James Downie and Baird KelloggChris Greenberg—Bloomberg News/Getty Images
Portrait of Senator A. Williams
Harrison A. Williams Years in Senate: 1959-82 Party: Democrat State: New Jersey The New Jersey Senator took bribes from FBI agents posing as wealthy Arab businessmen in a sting operation and was indicted in 1980. Williams resigned in 1982 prior to a Senate vote on his expulsion and served 21 months in federal prison on bribery and conspiracy charges. — James Downie and Baird KelloggJames Atherton—Bettmann/Corbis
Carswell Rejected By Senate
Edward J. Gurney Years in Senate: 1969-74 Party: Republican State: Florida A strong Nixon supporter, Gurney served on the Senate committee that investigated the Watergate scandal but was later indicted in 1974 for lying to a grand jury and for bribery in a case involving influence-peddling. He chose not to run for re-election in '74, though he was eventually acquitted of all charges. — James Downie and Baird KelloggAP
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Burton K. Wheeler Years in Senate: 1923-47 Party: Democrat State: Montana The lawyer-turned-politician was indicted only a year after first taking office for accepting a fee to represent a client before the Department of the Interior (a conflict of interest with his legislative duties). Both the Senate and the courts later acquitted him. — James Downie and Baird KelloggBill Wunsch—Post Archive
Senator Newberry with Socialites
Truman Newberry Years in Senate: 1919-22 Party: Republican State: Michigan Prosecutors indicted the wealthy industrialist for violating the Federal Corrupt Practices Act (he spent $3,750 to secure his election to the Senate over carmaker Henry Ford). Although the Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 1921, he left Congress a year later in the face of second movement to unseat him. — James Downie and Baird KelloggBettmann/Corbis
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Joseph R. Burton Years in Senate: 1901-06 Party: Republican State: Kansas The first-term Senator was indicted in 1904 for accepting $2,500 to prevent a fraud order against the Rialto Grain and Securities Company. He appealed his six-month prison sentence and fine, but the new trial resulted in the same verdict, and he resigned his seat in 1906. — James Downie and Baird Kellogg
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Charles Dietrich Years in Senate: 1901-05 Party: Republican State: Nebraska Appointed to fill a vacancy, Dietrich was charged in 1903 with taking a bribe in exchange for the procurement of a postmaster's position, as well as entering into a government contract while serving in the Senate. He was acquitted less than two weeks later, found innocent by the Senate, and finished his term without seeking re-election. — James Downie and Baird Kellogg
John H. Mitchell Terms: 1873-79, 1885-97, 1901-05 Party: Republican State: Oregon A grand jury charged Mitchell in 1905 for using political influence to help clients obtain fraudulent land claims, as part of the Oregon Land Fraud Scandal. Sentenced to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine, he died while appealing the sentence. — James Downie and Baird Kellogg
John Smith Years in Senate: 1803-08 Party: Republican State: Ohio One of Ohio's first two Senators, he was approached by Aaron Burr to help with a military expedition against Spanish Florida. Smith agreed to provide supplies but withdrew his support when he learned that Burr's intentions were to take over parts of Mexico and the western United States. Nevertheless, he was still indicted in Virginia as a conspirator. The charges were dropped after Burr was acquitted on a technicality, but his implication in the Burr treason ruined his political career, and he resigned in 1808. — James Downie and Baird Kellogg

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