The wife of a former senator from New Jersey was convicted by a jury in New York for her involvement in a multi-year bribery conspiracy that involved a Mercedes-Benz, gold bars, and piles of cash.
In order to help her husband, former Sen. Robert Menendez, who got expensive gifts in return for political favors, Nadine Menendez, 58, was found guilty on all 15 counts, including bribery and obstruction of justice.
Her trial for breast cancer treatments was postponed despite the fact that she and her spouse were accused in September 2023.
Menendez’s sentencing date has been set on June 12. In July 2024, her husband was found guilty and given an 11-year prison term.
The Southern District of New York US attorney’s office claimed in a statement that the couple engaged in “corrupt official acts” and were “partners in crime.”
According to the statement, “Today’s verdict sends the clear message that the power of government officials may not be put up for sale.”
During the course of the trial, the prosecution told the jury that it was Menendez who frequently collected the cash and other gifts on behalf of the former senator.
They said that Menendez was an essential component of the bribery scheme that her husband utilized.
Over the course of more than five years, her husband held the position of top-ranking Democrat on the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
This position afforded him a tremendous amount of influence over the affairs of the United States government.
“She was keeping him in the loop every step of the way,” Paul M Monteleoni, a prosecution, stated in a closing argument.
The attorneys for Menendez stated that the government was unable to provide evidence that there was a connection between the gold and stacks of cash discovered in the couple’s house and any “official act” that was carried out by her husband.
While he was stood outside the New York courthouse on Monday afternoon, her attorney Barry Coburn expressed his “devastation by the verdict.”
“We fought hard and it hurts,” Mr Coburn stated. “This is a very rough day for us.”
According to prosecutors, Menendez and her husband were found guilty of taking part in a complex plot to covertly support the Egyptian government by taking advantage of the former senator’s position in Washington.
Evidence from a 2022 FBI search at the couple’s New Jersey residence, which turned up hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in envelopes or concealed in clothing, as well as more than $100,000 (£80,000) worth of gold bars, supported the government’s allegations.
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They also presented digital evidence, including as text messages exchanged between the couple and their colleagues and a Google search “How much is one kilo of gold worth?” conducted by the former senator.
Wael Hana, an Egyptian-born owner of a halal certification business, and Fred Daibes, a real estate developer in New Jersey, were also accused and found guilty for their involvement.
In March 2024, Jose Uribe, an insurance broker, entered a guilty plea to charges pertaining to the corrupt scheme.
