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- Bob Menendez’s wife to go on trial for bribery starting on Tuesday (abcnews.go.com)
Nadine Menendez, wife of recently imprisoned former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, is set to begin her own federal bribery trial on Tuesday. This comes less than two months after her husband received an 11-year sentence for similar offenses.
Bob Menendez was convicted of accepting substantial bribes—including gold, cash, a luxury car, mortgage payments for Nadine Menendez, and compensation for a no-show job—from three New Jersey businessmen, who were also convicted. Authorities also discovered $70,000 in cash in Nadine Menendez’s safe deposit box and additional cash stashed in congressional jackets bearing her husband’s name.
Prosecutors allege that shortly after the couple began dating in 2018, Nadine Menendez introduced Egyptian officials to her then-Senator husband. These introductions, they claim, facilitated a corrupt agreement where the couple accepted bribes in exchange for the senator’s actions benefiting Egypt.
Bob Menendez recently took to social media to criticize the timing of his wife’s trial, citing her recent reconstructive surgery following breast cancer treatment and calling the Southern District of New York’s actions “cruel and inhumane.” Nadine Menendez’s trial had been previously postponed due to her cancer diagnosis.
She faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. These charges carry maximum sentences of five, 20, and 20 years respectively. She has pleaded not guilty.
Bob Menendez, convicted on 16 counts, including acting as a foreign agent, has called his prosecution a “political witch hunt.” He will not begin his prison sentence until June 6, allowing him to be present for his wife’s trial.
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- Bob Menendez’s wife to go on trial for bribery starting on Tuesday (abcnews.go.com)