Democrat Bob Menendez allegedly accepted cash in exchange for his influence, including by providing sensitive government information to aid Egypt
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) has been indicted alongside his wife Nadine Menendez for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for the senator’s influence.
The pair are accused of having “engaged in a corrupt relationship with three New Jersey associates and businessmen.” The men, who are co-defendants in the case, are identified as Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes. The counts against the senator include conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York allege that Menendez and his wife “agreed to and did accept hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using Menendez’s power and influence as a Senator to seek to protect and enrich Hana, Uribe, and Daibes and to benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt.” The senator is accused of having “provided sensitive U.S. Government information and [taking] other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt.”
Sen. Menendez is also alleged to have wielded his influence to interfere in a criminal case against Uribe and his associates, and of attempting to to recommend the appointment of a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who could be influenced into helping him disrupt a criminal case against Daibes.
A search by federal agents of the Menendez’s home and safe deposit box found “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.” The additionally found luxury vehicles and expensive furniture paid for by Hana, Uribe, and Daibes, as well as “over one hundred thousand dollars’ worth of gold bars in the home.”
New York prosecutors are expected to give a press conference Friday further detailing the charges.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with additional details.
