Senator Robert Menendez was charged with participating in a bribery scheme, with investigators finding $480,000 in cash and 13 bars of gold during a search of his New Jersey home. The senator’s lawyers now claim that his habit of routinely withdrawing large sums of money was tied to deep psychological trauma related to his father’s suicide and family history of confiscated property in Cuba. The lawyers want a psychiatrist to testify at the trial about Mr. Menendez’s past traumatic experiences associated with cash and finances.
The psychiatrist’s findings were disclosed in a government court filing, which stated that Mr. Menendez’s father’s death, as well as his parents’ history as Cuban refugees, left him with a “fear of scarcity.” This fear led to a longstanding coping mechanism of storing cash in his home. Prosecutors have asked the judge to bar the psychiatrist’s testimony, arguing that it lacks scientific principles and could be an attempt by Mr. Menendez to present alleged facts without undergoing cross-examination.
Mr. Menendez, a Democrat and former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for using his influence to help allies in New Jersey and governments of Egypt and Qatar. He will be tried alongside two New Jersey businessmen also implicated in the bribery conspiracy. Mr. Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, was granted a separate trial due to a serious medical condition requiring surgery.
The indictment against Mr. Menendez outlines various schemes, but public attention has been drawn to the discovery of cash, gold bars, and a luxury car during a search of his home. The senator explained that the cash was withdrawn for emergencies due to his family’s history of facing confiscation in Cuba. Prosecutors, however, noted that some cash was withdrawn from a bank where neither Mr. Menendez nor his wife had an account, indicating it was provided by another person.
Born in New York City to Cuban immigrant parents, Mr. Menendez grew up in Union City, New Jersey, a community of Cuban exiles. He has spoken about his upbringing in a tenement apartment and his father’s death when he was 23. His mother was a seamstress, and his father was a carpenter. The trial is widely anticipated, and the defense’s argument about Mr. Menendez’s traumatic experiences surrounding money is expected to play a significant role in his defense strategy.
As the trial approaches, the dispute over the psychiatrist’s potential testimony continues, with the prosecution seeking to exclude it from the trial. The case highlights the intersection of personal history and legal strategy in high-profile corruption charges. Mr. Menendez’s defense team is aiming to present a narrative that links his actions to past traumas, while the prosecution is focused on establishing a clear case of bribery and corruption. The outcome of the trial will determine Mr. Menendez’s political future and legacy in the Senate.
