Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to pocketing bribes in a wide-ranging corruption case

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey and his wife pleaded not guilty to federal charges of corruption, which accuse him of accepting bribes, including cash and gold bars, in exchange for using his political influence secretly to advance Egyptian interests and help local businessmen. Menendez had to step down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after the indictment was unsealed. He was released on a $100,000 bond, with restrictions on contact with co-defendants and Senate staffers.

Despite denying the allegations, calls for Menendez’s resignation grew, including from Senate Democrats like Dick Durbin and Cory Booker. This is Menendez’s second corruption case in a decade; the previous trial ended with a hung jury in 2017. Authorities discovered nearly $500,000 in cash, along with over $100,000 in gold bars, hidden in his home.

Menendez and his wife are accused of accepting bribes from New Jersey businessmen seeking his assistance, including actions benefiting the Egyptian government and interference in criminal investigations. Three businessmen, including Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, also pleaded not guilty. Wael Hana, the third businessman, was arrested and released pending trial.

Menendez claimed the cash found in his home was from personal savings, but prosecutors pointed to evidence linking it to one of the businessmen. Prosecutors allege that Hana promised Menendez’s wife a job, paid her mortgage, provided cash, and purchased gold bars in exchange for Menendez using his influence for foreign military sales to Egypt.

The indictment alleges that Menendez shared sensitive U.S. government information with Egyptian officials, ghostwrote a letter to senators advocating for aid to Egypt, and pressured a U.S. agricultural official to support a deal benefiting Hana’s company. These allegations come despite concerns about Egypt’s human rights record, leading Congress to attach restrictions on aid to the country.

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