After a federal corruption trial that spanned nearly two months, a federal jury in Manhattan will soon begin to deliberate on the 18 counts facing New Jersey Sen. . The Garden State's senior senator and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, federal prosecutors allege, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars, gold bars and a luxury car from a trio of northern New Jersey businessmen in exchange for helping them navigate various legal difficulties — all as they enriched themselves.
Menendez and Arslanian Menendez were initially indicted in September 2023 alongside Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in lower Manhattan.
Some of the 18 charges facing Menendez, his wife, Hana and Daibes, include conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice. Menendez also faces allegations that he was working to benefit Qatar and Egypt — and that he accepted bribes to do so. Federal prosecutors have contended that Menendez worked as a foreign agent for Egypt.
Other charges facing the veteran Democrat include fraud, extortion and bribery. Uribe agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors and on seven counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud. Uribe also testified last month, saying he bribed Menendez.
During this week, federal prosecutors reminded jurors that testimony showed investigators linked much of the cash and gold to Daibes and Hana through fingerprints, DNA and serial numbers and that ma.