NEWARK, NJ – A federal indictment charging Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey with bribery offenses is set to be unsealed this Friday, according to the Southern District of New York prosecutors. The indictment implicates not only Menendez but also his wife, Nadine Menendez, and three businessmen from New Jersey, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes.
The indictment alleges that the senator, his wife, and the three businessmen were involved in a corrupt relationship from 2018 through 2022. The couple is accused of accepting bribes in the form of cash, gold, mortgage payments, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other items of value. The bribes were allegedly in exchange for Menendez using his influence as a senator to protect and enrich Hana, Uribe, and Daibes and to benefit Egypt.
Menendez, who is also the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is accused of providing sensitive U.S. government information to Hana, an Egyptian-American businessman. This information allegedly aided the Egyptian government. The senator is also accused of pressuring an official at the Department of Agriculture to protect a business monopoly granted to Hana by the Egyptian government, who then allegedly kicked back profits to Menendez.
The indictment further alleges that Menendez used his office to disrupt an investigation into Uribe and his associates by New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin. It is also claimed that Menendez influenced President Biden to nominate a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who he believed could be swayed against prosecuting Daibes.
In response to the indictment, Menendez has claimed that the prosecutors have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office and are attempting to undermine his political career. He has urged voters to wait for a trial before accepting the prosecutor’s version of the facts.
The investigation into Menendez is ongoing, and he can continue serving in the Senate despite the charges. He is up for re-election in 2024.