January 03, 2024
Mitsu Yasukawa/Northjersey.com; USA TODAY NETWORK
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, of New Jersey, is now accused of accepting bribes in exchange for brokering a deal between New Jersey developer and a Qatari investment fund. He previously was charged with accepting bribes in exchange for political influence that benefited three businessmen and the government of Egypt.
Prosecutors have added new accusations to U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption case, alleging he used his political power to benefit the government of Qatar.
The New Jersey Democrat was indicted last year for allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for political favors involving the Egyptian government. A superseding indictment, unsealed Tuesday, now alleges Menendez also helped arrange a $45 million real estate deal between New Jersey developer Fred Daibes and a member of the Qatari royal family who serves as the principal of Qatari Investment Co. Menendez allegedly accepted lucrative bribes for connecting them.
While the investment company was considering whether to back Daibes' project, Menendez made multiple public statements supporting the Qatari government, according to the indictment. He also provided these remarks to Daibes to show to a Qatari investor and a government official linked to the Qatari Investment Co., prosecutors allege.
In exchange, Menendez allegedly received Formula 1 tickets, gold bar, cash and offer for a designer watch. After the deal was reached, Daibes gave Menendez at least one gold bar and Menendez then searched "one kilo gold price" on Google, the indictment says.
The original indictment charged Menendez and his wife, Nadine, with allegedly accepting cash, gold bars, mortgage payments and a luxury car for political influence benefitting three businessmen – Daibes, Wael Hana and Jose Uribe – and the Egyptian government. During a raid of Menendez's house in 2022, investigators say they found more than $550,000 in cash and gold bars worth $150,000.
Menendez and his co-defendants have pleaded not guilty. The senator has rejected calls to resign, but has stepped down from heading the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee. He reportedly is still considering a reelection campaign.
"Despite what they've touted in press releases, the government does not have the proof to back up any of the old or new allegations against Senator Menendez," Adam Fee, Menendez's lawyer, told The New York Times. "What they have instead is a string of baseless assumptions and bizarre conjectures based on routine, lawful contacts between a senator and his constituents or foreign officials. They are turning this into a persecution, not a prosecution."
According to the indictment, Menendez and his wife were picked up from the airport by Daibes upon returning from a trip to Qatar and Egypt. The next day, the filing says Menendez searched "how much is one kilo of gold worth" on the internet.
