Ny (AP) – U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of brand new Jersey with his spouse was indeed indicted Monday into the charge that they took bribes of money, gold taverns and a luxurious car to own a range of corrupt serves, together with getting the Democrat explore his influence more foreign situations to help you benefit the new authoritarian bodies regarding Egypt.

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This new sweeping indictment alleges you to definitely Menendez, president of your own Senate Overseas Interactions Committee, given delicate and you may low-societal You.S. regulators advice to help you Egyptian government authorities and you may got almost every other tips so you’re able to secretly let Egypt, and ghost-creating a page on the part of Egypt pushing other senators in order to elevator a hold on $three hundred mil for the help for the country. Bodies plus claim the brand new senator wanted in order to derail a violent studies towards the an associate from the moving to have a good You.S. attorneys nominee he noticed might be influenced.

A search of one’s couple’s family showed up $100,000 from inside the silver bars and you may $480,000 during the invisible cash, said prosecutors, which launched the latest fees contrary to the 69-year-old Democrat nearly half dozen many years immediately after an early on criminal situation facing your concluded that have an excellent deadlocked jury.

The fresh new indictment are not related into the earlier costs you to definitely alleged Menendez recognized luxurious merchandise to tension regulators authorities on the part of a florida doctor.

Menendez told you he had been falsely implicated regarding recognizing bribes however, “are not distracted” from operate in the newest Senate. Inside the an emailed declaration, he implicated prosecutors from misrepresenting “the normal work out-of a good Congressional work environment” and you may composing “these types of fees as they need.”

“For many years, pushes behind-the-scenes features a couple of times made an effort to silence my sound and you can look my personal political grave,” Menendez told you. “As this investigation is leaked nearly just last year, there were a working smudge strategy out-of private source and you can innuendos to help make an air out of impropriety in which nothing can be acquired.”

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David Schertler, legal counsel getting Menendez’s spouse, Nadine, said she “rejects one criminal conduct and can intensely event such charges during the courtroom.”

The fresh new Senate Historical Workplace claims Menendez seems to be the first seated senator during the U.S. background for become indicted into ligação significativa the several not related unlawful accusations. Menendez face reelection the coming year into the a bid to give his three-years profession from inside the Washington just like the Democrats hold a narrow bulk inside the new Senate.

When you look at the , shortly after ending up in a keen Egyptian certified, bodies claim, Menendez as well as lobbied then-Secretary away from County Mike Pompeo to improve American engagement in stalled negotiations involving Egypt, Ethiopia and you can Sudan to construct an effective dam along the Nile River, a key foreign coverage issue having Egypt.

Prosecutors claim Menendez along with his spouse accepted thousands of dollars during the bribes from about three business couples, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and you can Fred Daibes. The guy including put their influence so you can stress the newest president so you can nominate an effective U.S. attorney for brand new Jersey who does manage Daibes, a longtime pal and you can popular Nj developer whom experienced violent prosecution, it said.

It photos, which was utilized in an enthusiastic indictment out-of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-Letter.J.), suggests a sweater results Menendez’s identity, as well as bucks out of envelops discovered for the Jacket during a good browse by the federal agents of one’s senator’s household from inside the Harrison, Letter.J., inside 2022. (U.S. Attorney’s Office thru AP)

Immediately following Menendez called a government official on the Daibes’ situation, depending on the indictment, his spouse received a great Mercedes-Benz modifiable from the Uribe and you can Hana, each other family members of one’s senator with his wife. The latest indictment claims that when the acquisition is complete, Nadine Menendez texted their husband to express: “Well done mon amour de los angeles contend, the audience is new satisfied people who own a beneficial 2019 Mercedes,” having a center emoji.