US prosecutors have charged a powerful Democrat senator and his wife with bribery after an investigation discovered the equivalent of more than $A150,000 in gold bars plus envelopes stuffed with cash at his New Jersey home.
The discovery was the result of a probe into his relationship with New Jersey businessmen and threatens to complicate the Democrats’ efforts to keep their slim majority in the US Senate in next year’s elections.
The US Attorney’s office in Manhattan accused the defendants of accepting thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for using Menendez’s power and influence as New Jersey’s senior senator to seek to protect and enrich the businessmen, and benefit the government of Egypt.
Robert Menendez, 69, dismissed federal charges against him as part of an ongoing smear campaign, saying he would not be distracted by baseless accusations and would continue his important work.
Menendez, the chair of the influential US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has been an important ally to fellow Democrat President Joe Biden as he has sought to reassert US influence on the world stage.
The indictment contained an image of gold bars that investigators seized from Menendez’s home, as well as envelopes stuffed with cash found inside jackets bearing Menendez’s name and hanging in his closet.
Perks of office
Prosecutors said they found more than $US480,000 ($742,550) in cash in his home.
Prosecutors said that in addition to cash and gold, the bribes also included payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a job with minimal requirements and a luxury vehicle.
“This investigation is very much ongoing,” Damian Williams, the US attorney for Manhattan, said at a press conference.
“We are not done. And I want to encourage anyone with information to come forward and to come forward quickly.”
The senator’s office and a lawyer who has represented Nadine Menendez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The investigation marks the third time Menendez has been investigated by federal prosecutors but he has never been convicted.
Day in court
Menendez and wife Nadine, who has been married to the senator since 2020, face three criminal counts each: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion.
They are expected to appear in a Manhattan court on September 27 alongside the New Jersey businessmen involved in the investigation.
Prosecutors are seeking to have Menendez forfeit assets that include his New Jersey home, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz, and about $US566,000 ($875,590) in cash, gold bars, and funds from a bank account.
Menendez has said he plans to seek re-election next year, and an investigation could complicate Democrats’ effort to expand their slim 51-49 seat majority in the 100-member Senate.
Menendez has previously been investigated twice – first in 2006 and then in 2017 when he was charged in New Jersey with accepting private flights, campaign contributions and other bribes from a wealthy patron in exchange for official favours.
A trial ended in a jury deadlock and prosecutors dropped their bribery case a year later.
—AAP
