Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, was charged with a corruption-related felony for the second time in ten years on Friday.
The recently revealed federal indictment accuses Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, of taking “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” in exchange for the senator’s influence.
Gold, cash, home mortgage payments, remuneration for a “low-or-no-show job,” and a luxury automobile, according to the prosecution, were among the bribes offered.
The Justice Department has charged Menendez with corruption twice in the last ten years. Prior to this, he battled off allegations of conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud involving purported personal favors.
Next year, Menendez will be up for reelection. Since 2006, he has served in the Senate.
Menendez will be required to resign from his position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee due to Senate Democratic Caucus rules, but he can still participate in the committee.
Menendez issued a statement criticizing the charges.
“Forceful forces behind the scenes have made several attempts to stifle my voice and put my political career in jeopardy for years. There has been an ongoing smear campaign using anonymous sources and innuendos since this investigation’s publication about a year ago to cast doubt where none is deserved, the official added.
He continued, “The excesses of these prosecutors are evident. “They have distorted what a congressional office actually does. They have also targeted my wife for her lifelong friendships she had before she and I even met, not content with bringing false accusations against me.
Menendez had previously established a fund for legal defense. His wife started selling gold bars in April, according to the senator’s most current financial disclosure form, and the gold bars sold were valued up to $400,000.
Corruption allegations
Menendez is accused of three offenses, including participating in a bribery plot. His wife Nadine and three other people, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes, who are all alleged to be business colleagues and residents of New Jersey, are also accused in the conspiracy counts.
On Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET, Menendez, and the other defendants will make their court appearance.
The group is charged with working together to leverage Menendez’s influence as a US senator for their own personal gain and the benefit of Egypt.
Prosecutors accuse Menendez of attempting to influence the president’s pick of the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey to favor one of the business associates and to put pressure on the Department of Agriculture to defend a business monopoly that another contact had acquired from Egypt, according to the indictment.
In 2019, the Department of Agriculture got in touch with Egypt to express its displeasure with them offering Menendez’s contact, Hana, exclusive rights to export halal meat to the US.
But in May 2019, Hana met Menendez in his office with several other people, including an Egyptian intelligence official, to ask for assistance in overcoming the US agency’s opposition. That evening, the party had supper at a steakhouse in Washington, DC, according to the indictment.
Two days later, Menendez allegedly called a representative of the Agriculture Department and pleaded with them to stop obstructing Hana’s business plan.
“When Official-1 tried to explain how the monopoly hurt U.S. interests, MENENDEZ reiterated his demand that the USDA quit interfering with IS EG Halal’s monopoly in full and in substance. MENENDEZ demanded that Official-1 comply with his request, but IS EG Halal maintained its exclusivity, according to the accusation.
Searches turned up more than $500,000 in cash
The indictment claims that during searches of Menendez’s residence and safe deposit box in 2022, federal investigators discovered over $500,000 in cash, including in envelopes concealed under jackets bearing Menendez’s name.
According to the prosecution, three of the envelopes had the DNA or fingerprints of one of the business associates whom the senator is accused of accepting bribes.
A “luxury vehicle paid for by [Jose] Uribe parked in the garage,” as well as furniture from other business acquaintances and gold bars, were also discovered by the federal agents who investigated Menendez’s residence.
Cleared in a prior trial
In 2015, Menendez was charged with conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud in connection with allegedly abusing the authority of his position by federal prosecutors from the US attorney’s office in New Jersey.
The affluent ophthalmologist Dr. Salomon Melgen, according to the prosecution, gave the senator more than $600,000 in campaign donations, a lavish hotel suite at the Park Hyatt in Paris, and free trips on a private plane in exchange for political favors.
Menendez’s corruption trial came to a mistrial in November 2017 after the jury declared themselves to be deadlocked. Each accusation was refuted by both men. In 2018, a federal judge cleared them of several of the allegations after the mistrial. The remaining allegations against Menendez were dropped by the Justice Department.
In a separate case, Melgen was found guilty on numerous charges of healthcare fraud and given a 17-year sentence; however, in 2021, then-President Donald Trump shortened his sentence.
A belligerent Menendez warned at a news conference in 2017 after it was revealed that his mistrial had occurred.
At that moment, he declared, “I know who you are, and I won’t forget you. You were digging my political tomb so that you could jump into my seat.