Senator Robert Menendez was charged with corruption after investigators found $486,000 in cash stashed around his house in New Jersey. He claimed that he had withdrawn the cash from a personal savings account to keep at home, a habit he learned from his Cuban immigrant parents. However, federal prosecutors presented details suggesting that the money had been provided by another person, possibly linked to a bribery scheme. Much of the cash was found in various locations throughout the house, along with gold bars and other valuable items.
Mr. Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, are accused of accepting bribes in exchange for the senator’s willingness to use his political influence to disrupt criminal investigations in New Jersey and help foreign governments. The couple, along with two New Jersey businessmen charged in the scheme, have pleaded not guilty. The trial is set to begin on May 6 in Federal District Court in Manhattan. Despite calls for his resignation, Senator Menendez has expressed his intention to run for re-election in November as an independent if he is exonerated.
Prosecutors have stated that at least 10 envelopes of cash found in the senator’s house, containing over $80,000, bore the fingerprints or DNA of one of the businessmen involved in the scheme. They also mentioned gold bars being linked to the businessmen charged in the case. Mr. Menendez’s lawyers are seeking to exclude evidence of the cash found in the home that they argue has no clear link to the alleged co-conspirator. The judge has ruled that Ms. Menendez will be tried separately due to a newly diagnosed medical condition.
In September, Senator Menendez explained that the cash found in their home was tied to his family’s history in Cuba, where they faced confiscation before fleeing to the United States. He stated that he had withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash over 30 years, keeping it for emergencies. In an interview the following month, he elaborated that he had withdrawn $400 in cash every week for nearly three decades. However, prosecutors have presented evidence suggesting that the cash found around the house was part of a bribery scheme.
The case against Senator Menendez revolves around allegations of accepting bribes in exchange for using his political influence for personal gain. The prosecutors have detailed various locations where cash and valuable items were found in the couple’s home, indicating a lifestyle that was above their apparent means. The trial is scheduled to begin in May, with the senator and two other defendants set to be tried together. Despite the charges against him, Senator Menendez has maintained his innocence and expressed his intention to run for re-election if cleared of wrongdoing.
