TRENTON, N.J. (Diya TV) — Senator Bob Menendez, a powerful New Jersey Democrat, was convicted Tuesday of running a sprawling bribery scheme. Accusations included selling his office for lucrative bribes, such as cash and gold bars. A federal jury found Menendez guilty on all 16 felony counts. Prosecutors depicted him as the orchestrator of a complex bribery operation involving two foreign governments and three New Jersey businessmen.
The conviction marks a dramatic fall for Menendez, who once chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and had previously escaped bribery charges in 2017. Calls for his resignation have intensified, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer among those urging him to step down.
Expressing his disappointment, Menendez maintained his innocence and announced plans to appeal. “I have never violated my public oath. I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent,” he stated outside the courthouse. He warned that the jury’s decision could have implications for other senators regarding what constitutes acting as a foreign agent.
Menendez’s sentencing is set for October 29. While prosecutors haven’t specified the prison time they will seek, several charges carry maximum sentences of 20 years, putting him at risk of decades behind bars.
Throughout the trial, Menendez attempted to deflect blame onto his wife, Nadine Menendez, claiming she hid her dealings and financial troubles from him. Nadine’s trial was postponed due to her recovery from breast cancer surgery. Prosecutor Paul Monteleoni argued that Menendez was always in control, with his wife acting as his intermediary for demanding and receiving payments.
The scheme allegedly began in 2018 when Menendez started dating Nadine. Prosecutors claimed Menendez worked covertly to benefit the Egyptian government, including ghostwriting a letter lobbying for military aid and pressuring a U.S. Department of Agriculture official to support a halal certification monopoly granted to Wael Hana, one of the businessmen. Menendez also faced accusations of attempting to quash a federal prosecution against businessman Fred Daibes while aiding him in securing an investment deal with Qatar, and interfering in state-level investigations involving businessman Jose Uribe.
In exchange for political favors, the businessmen lavished gifts on Menendez and his wife, including cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and mortgage payments. Menendez and the two businessmen, Hana and Daibes, were convicted, and both plan to appeal.
During the trial, which spanned ten weeks, the jury heard testimonies from over three dozen witnesses and examined extensive evidence from searches of Menendez’s home and bank safe deposit box. Investigators found significant amounts of cash and gold, which the senator attributed to a family habit of stockpiling money due to their Cuban heritage. However, prosecutors argued that the cash deposits did not align with Menendez’s banking records, pointing out Daibes’ fingerprints on some of the cash envelopes.
Menendez’s lawyers attributed the gold found in their home to heirlooms and gifts from Nadine’s family. Despite this, prosecutors linked the gold to the bribery scheme through serial numbers and other evidence.
Text messages revealed that Nadine Menendez vented about payment delays from Hana, boasting about her influence and hinting at further power if they visited Egypt. The halal certification monopoly granted to Hana’s company raised concerns among U.S. officials due to the abrupt market shift and Hana’s lack of experience.
Prosecutors alleged that Menendez used his influence to benefit Egyptian officials, aiding them in lobbying efforts and providing sensitive information about U.S. Embassy employees. The monopoly profits allowed Hana to funnel bribe money to the couple, including wiring Nadine Menendez $23,000 to save her home from foreclosure.
Uribe testified that he sought Menendez’s help to halt an insurance fraud investigation. The senator allegedly reassured Uribe that there was no ongoing investigation, thus constituting a crime. U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger testified that Menendez mentioned a federal bank fraud case against Daibes, implying he wanted leniency.
