Sen. Bob Menendez found guilty of bribery in massive corruption plot
New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery in a widespread corruption plot. He was accused of participating in a years-long foreign corruption scheme that earned him gold bars, cash and a new car. The long-time lawmaker sat for over eight weeks in a New York federal courtroom as witnesses and prosecutors revealed the scintillating details of his alleged plan to reward multiple New Jersey businessmen with favors in exchange for payment, prosecutors alleged. The jury deliberated over three days before reaching the verdict. On Tuesday, they found Menendez guilty on all 16 counts against him, including acting as a foreign agent. He faces up to 222 years in prison for his crimes. Menendez used his high-profile position as the former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman to help one man negotiate a contract with Egyptian officials, prosecutors explained at trial.
And he used his influence as New Jersey's senior senator to quash a state investigation into another accomplice's state insurance fraud case, prosecutors said. Menendez's defense, meanwhile, argued the Democrat had a fear of going without and his Cuban heritage as the reason he stored gold and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash at his home. The New Jersey Democrat and his wife had been under investigation for allegedly accepting bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car over the last five years to carry out favors for three businessmen who are also charged in the case. In June 2022, the FBI raided the senator's home uncovering the fruits of his corrupt labors. They claimed the 13 gold bars, nearly half a million dollars in cash and the convertible Mercedes-Benz found during the search were all bribery payments to Menendez and his wife Nadine.
The Menendezes pleaded not guilty to the corruption scheme. Nadine Menendez will be tried in a separate trial due to her recent breast cancer diagnosis. Two of the New Jersey businessmen indicted alongside the Menendezes, Wael 'Will' Hana - a halal meat mogul - and Fred Daibes - a real estate developer - also pleaded not guilty. Jose Uribe, a former insurance broker, pleaded guilty in the case earlier this year and since has testified that he bribed the Menendezes. 'I agreed with Nadine Menendez and other people to provide a car for Nadine in order to get the power and influence of Mr. Menendez,' Uribe told the court. He got her a convertible Mercedes-Benz for helping him 'kill' investigations into several of his associates by the New Jersey attorney general's office. As it would turn out, through both prosecutor's and Menendez's attorneys, Nadine was central to the case's alleged bribery arrangements - often acting as a go between for her husband and his criminal associates.
After a jury ruled a mistrial in a previous federal corruption trial in 2017, Menendez, who has held his seat as New Jersey Senator since 2006, was ready to make himself anew. Part of that makeover involved a thrilling new relationship with Nadine Arslanian in 2018. Nadine, a tall, striking blonde Lebanese-American woman 13-years younger than Bob, was also divorced. She separated from real estate Raffi Arslanian in 2005 after getting together in 1989 and having two children, USA Today reported. The divorce left her with debt and little money. But her luck turned around when she began dating the wealthy and powerful Menendez in February 2018. Nadine introduced her future husband to Wael 'Will' Hana and quickly coordinated dozens of meeting between the two.
Hana, a halal meat mogul, was well connected with Egyptian officials and Menendez's role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, was surely a helpful connection to have - prosecutors said. By the summer of 2018, Nadine and Hana had coordinated meetings with the Senator and Egyptian officials at the Democrat's D.C. Senate office and elsewhere. In May, Menendez requested State Department information on the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and then passed it along to Egyptian military officials. But his lawyers pushed back on this arguing the information was already public. Later in July, the Senator met again with Egyptian military officials who wanted a $100 million deal for tank munitions. After the meeting, which was coordinated by Nadine, Menendez texted her 'Tell Will I am going to sign off this sale to Egypt today.'
Nadine sent the message to Hana, who later sent it to Egyptian officials, who gave it a thumbs up response. The couple kept close tabs on each other, tracking one another using their iPhones. At times Menendez would text Nadine if her tracker went dark. 'I lost you,' Menendez once texted Nadine. Prosecutors argued the tracking helped reassure the Democrat that his go-between was executing his illicit deals, while the Senator's defense said Nadine's ex poses a threat to her, and Menendez was instead concerned about him. The Lebanon-born 57-year-old at times caused 'too much drama,' according to Menendez's lawyers. She has been known to party and socialize with cast members of 'Mob Wives' and 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey.' In December 2018 Nadine got into a car crash, leading to the death of a 49-year-old Richard Koop. After the crash she needed a new car because, and the couple could not free up cash quickly to buy her a new one, so they turned to get some help.
Hana and former insurance executive Jose Uribe had an answer. 'I remember saying to her, if your problem is a car, my problem is saving my family,' Uribe said during the trial. He went on to tell the jury how he handed Nadine $15,000 in cash at a restaurant parking lot. Uribe added that he financed Nadine's new Mercedes-Benz C 3000 convertible for years. In return, the former insurance broker asked that Menendez quash investigations by the New Jersey attorney general into his friends. Uribe recounted meeting the Senator at his home and discussing the investigation when Menendez rang a bell to summon Nadine. After hearing the chime she came out with papers. Menendez then wrote down the names Uribe told him, met with the New Jersey attorney general the next day. Later in 2019 the Menendezes went out to dinner at Morton's Steakhouse in Washington D.C., with Hana and Egyptian officials.
Unbeknownst to the couple, businessman or officials an FBI agent was at an adjacent table monitoring the entire meeting. 'What else can the love of my life do for you?' Nadine asked the men at the table, the agent later testified. Days later Menendez called a Department of Agriculture official to urge him to rethink an export contract that would benefit Hana. As time went on, Nadine and the Senator's relationship progressed, leading to the Democrat proposing to the blonde divorcee outside of the Taj Mahal in India. The two wed in 2020, embroiling Nadine in more of the senator's affairs. Some of those affairs included negotiations with Fred Daibes, a businessman accused of bribing the Menendezes with gold bars and cash to quash investigations into federal banking charges and to connect with Qatari officials.
Daibes and Hana were both found guilty on all charges against them Tuesday. Following the guilty verdict, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Menendez to 'now do what is right to his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.' New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also called on the lawmaker to resign, and if he doesn't, for Congress to kick him out. 'I reiterate my call for Senator Menendez to resign immediately after being found guilty of endangering national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system. If he refuses to vacate his office, I call on the U.S. Senate to vote to expel.' But exiting the courthouse in New York Tuesday afternoon, Menendez said the bribery saga is not over just yet. 'I have never violated my public oath,' he told reporters. He then pledged to appeal his guilty verdict. Menendez's sentencing will take place a week before the election on October 29.
