NJ Sen. Menendez Had Illegal Immigrant, Sex Offender as Intern

18-year-old was recently arrested

New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez confirmed on Wednesday that he had an unpaid intern working in his office that was both undocumented and a registered sex offender. Eighteen-year-old Luis Abrahan Sanchez Zavaleta from Peru was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in front of his Jersey home last week Thursday for being in the country illegally, but Menendez said he knew nothing about the allegation and did not learn of the arrest until the day before. Zavaleta entered the country on a now-expired visitor visa, is facing deportation and remains in custody. It was discovered that he also violated the law in 2010 and was subsequently required to register as a sex offender, but the exact charge is unknown as he was prosecuted as a juvenile and those court records are not publicly accessible. Zavaleta told ICE agents that he worked on immigration issues for the senator. (NBC News)

[SUBSCRIBE TO LOOP 21 RSS FEED]