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Washington — Federal prosecutors in New York have accused Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and his spouse, Nadine Menendez, of obstructing the investigation right into a years-long bribery scheme through which the senator allegedly traded his political affect for cash, in line with a superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday.
The pair and three New Jersey businessmen have been charged final yr for conspiring to make use of Menendez’s energy as chair of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee for the good thing about Egyptian and Qatari authorities officers, and to help the businessmen overcome numerous enterprise and authorized points. In trade, prosecutors mentioned, the senator and his spouse accepted a whole bunch of 1000’s in money, gold bars and a luxurious automotive.
Menendez was indicted by a grand jury with a couple of dozen further counts on Tuesday that accuse him of working as an unregistered overseas agent of Egypt to safe army financing for that nation, accepting bribes to help considered one of his co-defendant’s Halal firm, and making an attempt to disrupt numerous legal investigations. Most of the newly unsealed prices don’t allege new conduct, however accuse the defendants of the underlying crimes as a part of broader conspiracies.
Prosecutors did, nevertheless, allege new obstructive acts. The superseding indictment contains prices in opposition to each Bob and Nadine Menedenz of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice.
Based on the brand new court docket paperwork, the senator’s spouse is accused of assembly with one of many defendants — businessman Jose Uribe — after federal investigators executed search warrants on the Menendez dwelling. Nadine Menendez and Uribe allegedly mentioned funds for a Mercedes-Benz convertible he gave to her after the senator allegedly agreed to try to “affect” the prosecution of a person near Uribe. Through the assembly, Uribe agreed that he would inform investigators the automotive funds have been loans, prosecutors mentioned.
The couple are additionally accused of working to pay again a few of the cash that prosecutors alleged they took as bribes — writing checks to the businessmen which they described as loans — and promoting gold bars.
Menendez, his spouse, and two of the businessmen pleaded not responsible earlier this yr to the earlier set of prices in opposition to them. Uribe modified his authorized technique and pleaded responsible final week. He’s now cooperating with investigators.
In a press release Tuesday, Menendez claimed he was harmless and accused prosecutors of abusing their energy.
“The federal government has now falsely alleged a cover-up and obstruction,” Menendez mentioned. “The most recent cost reveals way more in regards to the authorities than it says about me. It says that the prosecutors are afraid of the information, scared to topic their prices to the fair-minded scrutiny of a jury, and unconstrained by any sense of justice or honest play.”
An legal professional for one of many defendants, New Jersey developer Fred Daibes, declined to remark.
Attorneys for Nadine Menendez and defendant Wael Hana — who owned a Halal firm that the senator is accused of illegally serving to safe a distribution deal — didn’t reply to CBS Information’ request for remark.
Earlier court docket paperwork detailed numerous conferences between the senator, his co-defendants and Egyptian officers. Prosecutors claimed Nadine Menendez allegedly “had conferences and direct communications with a number of Egyptian officers” and “conveyed info and requests from them to Menendez.”
Whereas executing search warrants in 2022 on the Menendez residence, federal brokers recovered greater than $480,000 in money, gold bars, and the Mercedes-Benz convertible that Nadine Menendez allegedly accepted from Uribe, paperwork present.
Since being first charged final yr, Menendez has resisted calls to resign and maintained his innocence, though he did step down from his put up as the highest Democrat on the Senate Overseas Relations Committee.
Responding to the earlier prices, Menendez contended that the money recovered by federal brokers was withdrawn from his private financial savings account and stored for “emergencies.”
Final week, a federal choose rejected his declare that the FBI’s searches of his dwelling and electronics have been illegal and incorrect, writing he met the authorized requirement of possible trigger.
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