Posted on 09/22/23
| News Source: The Hill
An indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on bribery charges is set to be unsealed later Friday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, are charged with bribery offenses, accused of a “corrupt relationship” with three New Jersey businessmen, the office said in a tweet. A press briefing is scheduled for 11 a.m. to announce the charges.
The indictment, first published by Politico, alleges Menendez and his wife agreed to and accepted “hundreds of thousands of dollars” of bribes in exchange for using his “power and influence as a senator” to enrich the three businessmen — Wael “Will” Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibe — as well as benefit Egypt.
The bribes included “cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,” according to the indictment.
The New Jersey senator was also indicted on federal corruption charges in 2015, but they were dropped in 2018 when a jury could not reach a verdict.
Menendez chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — a role he recused himself from during his previous indictment. In May, the New Jersey senator denied any wrongdoing.
“I am sure it is going to end up in absolutely nothing,” he said.