Read the indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife
Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, and three associates have been charged by federal prosecutors with accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for the Democratic lawmaker’s influence.
According to the indictment unsealed Friday, Menendez is facing three federal conspiracy charges:
Conspiracy to commit bribery.
Conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.
Conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.
Also read: 3 takeaways from the indictment against Bob Menendez
Prosecutors allege that Menendez, his wife and three New Jersey businessmen — Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes — used Menendez’s “power and influence” as a U.S. senator to enrich themselves and Egypt. All five were ordered to appear in federal court on Sept. 27.
The alleged bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, “compensation for a low-or-no-show job” and a Mercedes-Benz convertible, among other things, per the indictment.
Federal agents searching Menendez’s home and safe-deposit box last year found over $550,000 in cash, some of which was hidden in envelopes inside jackets emblazoned with Menendez’s name.
In a statement, Menendez denied the charges, insisting that prosecutors “have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office.”
