By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The jury that convicted Robert Menendez of corruption was allowed to consider improper evidence during deliberations, but that error does not justify overturning the former New Jersey senator’s conviction, officials said US prosecutors on Wednesday.

Menendez, 70, resigned from the U.S. Senate in August after a Manhattan federal court jury found him guilty of selling his power in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, including gold bars and cash. The once-influential Democrat has pleaded not guilty and vowed to appeal.

In a court filing, the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office said nine pieces of evidence used by jurors during their deliberations had material that should have been redacted. Prosecutors said defense attorneys also didn’t notice the error and those elements likely didn’t impact the verdict.

“No action should be taken in light of this error,” prosecutors wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein. “The evidence of guilt in this case was overwhelming.”

Menendez’s lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The former senator was found guilty of all 16 charges he faced, including unlawful acting as an agent of the Egyptian government, obstruction of justice, wire fraud and extortion. Jurors needed three days to reach a verdict, after a nine-week trial.

Menendez represented New Jersey and chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 25 and could spend decades behind bars.

New Jersey voters last week elected Democrat Andy Kim to become the state’s junior senator.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York. Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)