Yahoo Movies Sen. Bob Menendez, Wife Charged with Bribery After Allegedly Accepting 'Cash, Gold, a Luxury Vehicle' and More
"Over $480,000 in cash — much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe — was discovered" in the couple's home, an indictment alleged
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Nadine and Robert Menendez arrive at a White House state dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 22, 2023New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat who is up for reelection in 2024, and his wife Nadine have been indicted on federal bribery charges following an investigation into their business dealings with three businessmen connected to Egypt's government.
A newly unsealed, 39-page indictment alleges that Menendez, 69, and his wife, 56, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes in exchange for protecting the three businessmen — Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes — and to "benefit" the government of Egypt.
"This corrupt relationship resulted in Robert Menendez, the defendant, promising to take and taking a series of official acts and breaches of official duty in exchange for bribes that benefitted him both directly, and indirectly through Nadine Menendez," the indictment claims.
The indictment further alleges that the senator "provided sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt," and "improperly advised and pressured an official at the United States Department of Agriculture for the purpose of protecting a business monopoly" granted to one of the businessmen, Hana, by the country of Egypt.
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Sen. Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, at a hearing on July 26, 2023The senator also allegedly tried to "disrupt a criminal investigation and prosecution undertaken by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office" into another of the businessmen, Uribe.
The indictment adds that Sen. Menendez allegedly recommended that President Joe Biden nominate an individual for U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey whom the senator "believed could be influenced," and would disrupt the prosecution of the businessmen.
Court filings allege that a search warrant of the Menendez home and safe deposit box executed in June 2022 turned up "cash, gold, a luxury vehicle, and home furnishings" that were used to bribe the senator and his wife.
Among the items allegedly found in the couple's home was a jacket bearing Sen Menendez's name and stuffed with envelopes of cash.
"Over $480,000 in cash—much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe—was discovered in the home, along with over $70,000 in Nadine Menendez's safe deposit box. Some of the envelopes contained the fingerprints and/or DNA of Daibes or his driver," the indictment alleges.
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Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine, arrive for a reception in the White House East Room on May 16, 2022The couple are charged with three counts: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.
PEOPLE reached out to the senator's office for comment.
Menendez is currently the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has served as a senator since 2006. Prior to that, he was a U.S. Representative and a state senator, a state representative, and the mayor of Union City, New Jersey.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan plans to release further details at a press conference slated for 11 a.m. on Friday.
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