Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s wife allegedly received a diamond engagement ring as part of a bribe for her husband’s influence, according to a Wednesday court filing.
Menendez is under investigation for federal corruption charges and was first indicted in late September over allegedly receiving lavish gifts in return for influence in the upper chamber on behalf of Egypt. The ring for Nadine Menendez was allegedly part of a $150,000 bribe to benefit the Egyptian government, according to the filing by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. (RELATED: ‘A Free For All’: Challengers Lining Up To Take On Bob Menendez)
US Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) walks to the Senate chambers before a procedural vote at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on February 12, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Menendez is accused of acting on behalf of Egypt as a foreign agent.
Nadine Menendez’s Egyptian associate Wael Hanna allegedly bought the ring for her when she was the senator’s girlfriend, according to the filing. He also bought her a Mercedes Benz car.
Menendez’s wife allegedly killed a man in 2018 while driving her previous Mercedes but officials ruled her not to be culpable, according to The New York Times.
Both Menendezes are accused of taking bribes and have pled not guilty. They allegedly accepted a Mercedes-Benz valued at over $60,000 as a bribe in 2019 after the car Nadine Menendez was driving got damaged in the crash, according to an indictment against them.
Menendez doubled down on his innocence in a January floor speech.
“Almost everyone, including my friends in the press who have reported on it, haven’t read the indictment. They’ve only taken the government’s sensational narrative of what the accusations are as truth. They haven’t sought facts of the allegations,” he said. “I’m innocent, and I intend to prove my innocence. Not just for me, but for the precedent this case will set for you and future members of the Senate.”
Menendez did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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