Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, arrive at Manhattan federal court on September 27. Brendan McDermid/Reuters
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, arrived at Manhattan federal court Wednesday morning ahead of their scheduled arraignment.
The senator was charged Friday on corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years. He's charged with three alleged crimes, including being on the receiving end of a bribery conspiracy involving payments in gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and a luxury car.
The conspiracy counts also include his wife and three people described as New Jersey associates and businessmen.
30 min ago
Menendez could face up to 20 years in prison on most serious charge he faces
From CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz and Kara Scannell
Sen. Bob Menendez during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
All five defendants indicted last week could face up to 20 years behind bars if convicted on the conspiracy to commit honest services fraud charge — and five years if convicted on the conspiracy to commit bribery charge.
Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, also have been charged with an additional count of conspiracy to commit extortion, which also carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence.
Most defendants do not receive the maximum prison sentence allowed under federal law, and any sentencing is decided by judge presiding over the case.
30 min ago
Here's what you need to know about Sen. Menendez's federal indictment
From CNN's Kara Scannell and Katelyn Polantz
Sen. Bob Menendez gets in an elevator outside the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 13. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged last Friday with corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years. The senator and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, are accused of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” in exchange for the senator’s influence, according to the unsealed federal indictment.
Prosecutors allege the bribes included gold, cash, home mortgage payments, compensation for a “low-or-no-show job” and a luxury vehicle.
Menendez is charged with three alleged crimes, including being on the receiving end of a bribery conspiracy. The conspiracy counts also charge his wife Nadine, and three people described as New Jersey associates and businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.
The group is accused of coordinating to use Menendez’s power as a US senator to benefit them personally and to benefit Egypt.
In the indictment, prosecutors accuse Menendez of trying to sway the president’s choice of the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey to benefit one of the business associates and to pressure the Department of Agriculture to protect a business monopoly another contact had from Egypt.
The Department of Agriculture in 2019 had contacted Egypt to object to it giving Menendez’s contact, Hana, monopoly rights related to supplying halal meat to the US.
Yet Hana met Menendez in his office along with others, including an Egyptian intelligence official, in May 2019, asking for help fending off the US agency’s opposition. The group went to a Washington, DC, steakhouse for dinner that evening, the indictment said.
Two days later, Menendez allegedly called an Agriculture Department official, asking them to stop opposing Hana’s venture.
This is the second set of corruption charges levied against Menendez by the Justice Department in a decade. He previously fought off conspiracy, bribery and honest services fraud related to alleged personal favors.
Menendez is up for reelection next year. He has been in the Senate since 2006.
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez arrived at federal court in New York this morning after being charged Friday on corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years. The senior senator faces three alleged crimes, including being on the receiving end of a bribery conspiracy involving payments in gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and a luxury car.
The conspiracy counts also charge his wife, Nadine, and three people described as New Jersey associates and businessmen. They are accused of coordinating to use Menendez’s power as a US senator to benefit them personally and to benefit Egypt.
Today's court appearance comes as a growing number of Senate Democrats call for Menendez to resign. The New Jersey senator, who is up for reelection next year, has denied wrongdoing and temporarily stepped down from his post as the Foreign Relations Committee chairman.
Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, arrive at Manhattan federal court on September 27. Brendan McDermid/Reuters
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, arrived at Manhattan federal court Wednesday morning ahead of their scheduled arraignment.
The senator was charged Friday on corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years. He's charged with three alleged crimes, including being on the receiving end of a bribery conspiracy involving payments in gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and a luxury car.
The conspiracy counts also include his wife and three people described as New Jersey associates and businessmen.
Sen. Bob Menendez during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
All five defendants indicted last week could face up to 20 years behind bars if convicted on the conspiracy to commit honest services fraud charge — and five years if convicted on the conspiracy to commit bribery charge.
Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, also have been charged with an additional count of conspiracy to commit extortion, which also carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence.
Most defendants do not receive the maximum prison sentence allowed under federal law, and any sentencing is decided by judge presiding over the case.
Sen. Bob Menendez gets in an elevator outside the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 13. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged last Friday with corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years. The senator and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, are accused of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” in exchange for the senator’s influence, according to the unsealed federal indictment.
Prosecutors allege the bribes included gold, cash, home mortgage payments, compensation for a “low-or-no-show job” and a luxury vehicle.
Menendez is charged with three alleged crimes, including being on the receiving end of a bribery conspiracy. The conspiracy counts also charge his wife Nadine, and three people described as New Jersey associates and businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.
The group is accused of coordinating to use Menendez’s power as a US senator to benefit them personally and to benefit Egypt.
In the indictment, prosecutors accuse Menendez of trying to sway the president’s choice of the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey to benefit one of the business associates and to pressure the Department of Agriculture to protect a business monopoly another contact had from Egypt.
The Department of Agriculture in 2019 had contacted Egypt to object to it giving Menendez’s contact, Hana, monopoly rights related to supplying halal meat to the US.
Yet Hana met Menendez in his office along with others, including an Egyptian intelligence official, in May 2019, asking for help fending off the US agency’s opposition. The group went to a Washington, DC, steakhouse for dinner that evening, the indictment said.
Two days later, Menendez allegedly called an Agriculture Department official, asking them to stop opposing Hana’s venture.
This is the second set of corruption charges levied against Menendez by the Justice Department in a decade. He previously fought off conspiracy, bribery and honest services fraud related to alleged personal favors.
Menendez is up for reelection next year. He has been in the Senate since 2006.
