(ReliableNews.org) – Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is facing years in prison after being indicted in 2023 on various corruption charges. The lawmaker, who was also indicted in 2015 but later had the charges dropped by former President Donald Trump’s administration, has pleaded not guilty. Now, he’s facing more than a dozen new allegations.
On May 5, a federal court unsealed an 18-count indictment against the senator, his wife, Nadine Menendez, and two businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. The new superseding indictment alleges the four defendants engaged in a corrupt relationship, along with another individual, Jose Uribe.
According to the Department of Justice, the senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for the lawmaker using his influence to protect the men. He’s also accused of using his power to benefit Qatar and Egypt. Federal prosecutors claim the senator provided Hana with sensitive information about the US government and used his position to try to pressure a Department of Agriculture employee on behalf of the businessman.
The indictment included photographs of evidence gathered during the search warrant of the senator’s New Jersey home. The photos included a jacket with his name on it and cash that was allegedly stuffed inside of it. A separate photo showed two gold bars that Daibes allegedly paid him. The lawmaker is accused of keeping more than $100,000 worth of gold bars in his home.
Prosecutors claim the senator and his wife tried to make the alleged bribe look like a loan. They are also accused of lying to their lawyers. The DOJ alleges the couple committed obstruction of justice when trying to cover up the offenses.
Menendez called the new indictment “a flagrant abuse of power.” He claimed he was trying to repay loans that were given to his wife and said the government has “falsely alleged a cover-up and obstruction.”
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