Sao Paulo
The Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, who is accused of corruption this Friday (22), has little connection with Brazil. Before Menendez was investigated for accepting bribes from businessmen, he was already under investigation for helping secure visas for lovers of Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Florida ophthalmologist, businessman and fellow philanthropist.
Melgen and Menendez became friends in 2006 and cemented their relationship after the doctor donated more than $750,000 to the senator’s reelection campaign in 2012. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as the NY Post has learned, Melgen induced Menendez to use the power of his position to his advantage primarily to secure visas for six foreign girlfriends that Melgen wanted to bring with him to the United States.
The senator was even accused of helping his team secure a visa for Juliana Lopes Leite, a Brazilian actress who posed nude on the cover of Sexy magazine. He reportedly directed an aide to email a senior State Department official involved in BBB 4 requesting that she give “special consideration” to her request for release.
He was also accused of advocating for Ukrainian student Svitlana Buchyk, who wanted advice on plastic surgery. According to federal authorities, he also told a member of his team to “call the ambassador as soon as possible” to reverse the visa denial for a 22yearold Dominican model.
In return, prosecutors say, the senator was rewarded with flights on Melgen’s two private jets and vacations at the doctorrun resort in the Dominican Republic.
Back in 2015, at the height of the investigation, Juliana Fantástico gave an interview in which she said she knew nothing about the relationship between the two friends. “My name is free. At the moment he is free. And I was involved in something without even knowing it. That’s why I decided to talk to ‘Fantástico’ to clarify this. And I really don’t have to worry. He’s the “You’ve got to worry because he’s in jail, poor thing,” he said.
However, in 2017, a federal jury in New Jersey failed to reach a verdict on the bribery charges.