Federal prosecutors on Friday introduced corruption fees in opposition to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and his spouse, alleging they took bribes in change for favors the senator doled out the usage of the ability of his place of job.
The 39-page indictment lays out quite a lot of alleged schemes Menendez, spouse Nadine Menendez and 3 New Jersey businessmen that led investigators to find stacks of money and gold bars within the senator’s house.
In a defiant commentary, Menendez urged there’s some type of conspiracy in opposition to him, announcing “the ones at the back of this marketing campaign merely can not settle for {that a} first-generation Latino American from humble beginnings may just upward thrust to be a U.S. Senator and serve with honor and difference.”
Menendez may just now face years in jail, to not point out the imaginable finish of his political occupation. Listed here are 5 of essentially the most surprising main points from the indictment.
Wads of Money
Throughout a June 2022 seek of the Menendez house, government mentioned they discovered just about part one million greenbacks in money, “a lot of it filled into envelopes and hidden in clothes, closets, and a protected.”
A few of the articles of clothes allegedly used to cover the cash? A army blue jacket emblazoned with the senator’s title and a black jacket stitched with SENATOR MENENDEZ. The indictment comprises pictures of the clothes with the money got rid of from envelopes and put on most sensible.
U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace, Southern District of New York
Gold
Along with the entire greenbacks, investigators mentioned they came upon furnishings, a Mercedes convertible parked within the storage, and greater than $100,000 value of gold bars that allegedly got to Menendez and his spouse by means of their industry companions. A type of companions used to be an Egyptian-American who allegedly funneled delicate data from Menendez to the Egyptian govt.
Gold bars allegedly given to Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) as bribes.
A Ghostwritten Letter
Prosecutors say that during 2018, Menendez’s now-wife Nadine, on the time his female friend, advised the senator that Egyptian officers wanted lend a hand drafting a letter asking different senators to make stronger U.S. assist to Egypt. In reaction, in keeping with the indictment, the senator “secretly edited and ghost-wrote the asked letter on behalf of Egypt in the hunt for to persuade different U.S. Senators to free up a hang on $300 million in assist to Egypt.” Bob and Nadine Menendez were given married in 2020.
A Golden Google Seek
Bob Menendez allegedly intervened in a federal prison investigation of Fred Daibes, a New Jersey developer reported to have ties to arranged crime, together with by means of recommending President Joe Biden appoint a extra sympathetic prosecutor. In change, Daibes equipped money and gold, in keeping with the indictment.
The day after you have a experience house from the airport from a driving force who labored for Daibes in October 2021, Menendez allegedly performed “a internet seek for ‘how a lot is one kilo of gold value’” and later searched “kilo of gold worth.” The senator it sounds as if didn’t transparent his browser historical past; his spouse wound up promoting the gold bars to a jeweler, government mentioned.
Daibes pleaded in charge to taking part in an insider mortgage rip-off remaining 12 months.
Menendez Had Simply Dodged Unrelated Corruption Allegations
One of the exceptional issues in regards to the indictment is that it describes allegedly prison habits by means of Menendez beginning in March 2018, not up to part a 12 months after a prior unrelated federal corruption case in opposition to Menendez had resulted in a mistrial because of a hung jury.
If convicted, Menendez faces years in jail for conspiracies to dedicate bribery, extortion and truthful services and products fraud.