Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has googled how much a kilo of gold is worth several times in connection with an alleged bribery scheme involving him and his wife.
The indictment was made public on Friday, with Menendez, 69, and his wife each facing three counts following a year-long investigation for their involvement in the alleged bribery scheme. This is his second impeachment since becoming a senator in 2006.
The indictment alleged that the New Jersey senator Googled “How much is a kilo of gold worth?” after returning home from a trip to Egypt in October 2021.
During a court-authorized search of the couple’s apartment in June 2022, several gold bars were found. The gold bars were part of the hundreds of thousands of bribes the couple is said to have accepted.
Menendez Googled the price of gold another time, shortly after his wife thanked Fred Daibes, a New Jersey businessman and longtime Menendez associate, for “Christmas in January,” the document said.
Pictured: Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., right, and his wife, Nadine Arslanian. A criminal complaint alleged the New Jersey senator Googled “How much is a kilo of gold worth?” after returning home from a trip to Egypt in October 2021
During a search in June 2022, authorities found two one-kilogram gold bars and eleven one-ounce gold bars in Menendez’s home. The gold bars were among hundreds of thousands of bribes the couple allegedly took
Pictured: Senator Bob Menendez’s home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The indictment was made public Friday as Menendez and his wife face three counts each on three counts following a year-long investigation for their involvement in the alleged bribery scheme
Daibes and two others were involved in paying “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” in exchange for the senator secretly using his power to benefit the Egyptian government, the indictment says.
Prosecutors also accused Menendez of trying to influence the ongoing federal prosecution of Daibes.
Menendez and his wife were accused Friday of corruption charges involving the purchase of a luxury car, $400,000 in gold bullion and cash, and payments on a home mortgage that Menendez and his wife allegedly received.
The indictment alleges that the couple had an inappropriate relationship with three New Jersey businessmen: Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, who allegedly paid the couple to have Menendez use his influence in Washington, D.C. to their advantage.
The couple are each charged with three criminal offenses: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit official fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion under the guise of official rights. The three businessmen are charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.
The indictment also accuses the senator of “providing sensitive information to the U.S. government and taking other steps that secretly aided the Egyptian government.”
The investigation also examined other bribes allegedly paid to the couple. “These bribes included cash, gold, payments on a home mortgage, compensation for a job that was not used or used infrequently, a luxury vehicle, and other items of value,” the indictment states.
Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife Nadine Arslanian arrive at the White House for a state dinner honoring French President Emmanuel Macron in December 2022; The pair were charged with three felony counts related to bribery and extortion
During a raid on Menendez’s home in June 2022, cash was found in envelopes
According to the indictment, $486,461 in U.S. dollars was seized from the couple’s home
The luxurious Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible worth more than $60,000
A June 2022 raid on her New Jersey home “found over $480,000 in cash – much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets and a safe,” the indictment says, adding that Nadine had over $70,000 in a safe deposit box.
Two one-kilogram gold bars and eleven one-ounce gold bars were also found.
Menendez and his wife reportedly sold hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold bullion despite facing foreclosure just three years earlier and initially failing to disclose it in their ethics filings.
Businesswoman Nadine Arslanian, 56, bagged up to $400,000 in gold last spring in a sale that came just months before the public announcement of a federal investigation into the New Jersey Democrat.
Damian Williams, an attorney for the Southern District of New York, outlined the allegations and supporting evidence during a news conference Friday morning, saying the couple used Menendez’s “power and influence to protect and enrich the businessmen and help the Egyptian government.” “.
He noted that investigators “executed a search warrant and discovered over $500,000 in cash hidden in envelopes and the Senator’s jackets.”
‘That’s not all. “Agents have discovered a lot of gold,” he added.
In a statement Friday, Menendez denied any wrongdoing.
“Those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first-generation Latino American could rise from humble beginnings to become a U.S. senator.”
“I have been falsely accused before because I refused to cave to those in power, and the people of New Jersey could see through the smoke and mirrors that I was innocent,” he said.
He added that he would not be “distracted by unfounded allegations” but would continue his work as a senator.
David Schertler, an attorney for Nadine Menendez, said she “denies any criminal conduct and will vigorously contest these allegations in court.”
The indictment alleges that Menendez attempted to avoid a federal criminal case against Fred Daibes in exchange for the money and other valuables. Daibes is an old friend of Menendez, has raised funds for his Senate campaign and is said to have ties to the Genovese Mafia family.
The indictment accuses Menendez of “promising and using his influence and power” to pressure President Joe Biden to appoint a U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, whom Menendez “believes he could Menendez may be influenced by Fred Daibes with regard to federal prosecution.” .’
Damian Williams, an attorney in the Southern District of New York, explained the allegations
Menendez recommended and Biden later appointed Phillip Sellinger as U.S. attorney for New Jersey, the state’s top federal prosecutor.
Daibes has already been investigated. As the Daily Beast reported, New Jersey authorities have repeatedly tracked down high-level mobsters meeting with Daibes over the past decade.
Daibes provided the couple with gold bars and envelopes of cash, the indictment says.
“During the court-authorized search in June 2022, several gold bars provided by Daibes were found; of the couple’s home, the indictment says. It also says that the senator searched the Internet for “How much is a kilo of gold worth” and that the cash envelopes had the fingerprints of Daibes and his driver.