Sen. Robert Menendez is chased by reporters after leaving the Senate Democratic Caucus following his arraignment on corruption charges at the U.S. Capitol on September 28, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
A federal judge on Monday scheduled the trial of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine on bribery and corruption charges to begin on May 6, 2024.
The couple are accused of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” in exchange for official acts Menendez performed on behalf of three New Jersey business associates.
“Those bribes included cash, but Moneymortgage payments, missed or no-show work compensation [for Nadine]luxury cars, and other items of value,” the federal indictment alleges.
Mr. Menendez, his wife, and a businessman will stand trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
The couple are each charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion in public rights. Her three other defendants are charged with the first two of these charges against her.
Menendez maintains his innocence and has rejected calls by a majority of Democratic senators to resign. He accused prosecutors of distorting “the normal business of the parliamentary secretariat” and said the allegations were an attack on his wife “against our long-standing friendship.”
of indictment They allege that Menendez used his position as chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee for years to benefit three business associates. It also alleges that in exchange for bribes, the senator “provided confidential U.S. government information and took other steps to secretly assist the Egyptian government.”
Prosecutors said in court Monday that the case involved classified information and that the process of appointing a classified information security officer was underway.
They also revealed that part of the case relies on the contents of 50 electronic devices, phones, tablets and computers obtained through warrants.
In June 2022, the FBI searched Menendez’s Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home and seized $480,000 in cash. Prosecutors said some of the cash was stuffed in a coat pocket and some remained in an envelope that was later found to have the businessman’s fingerprints on it.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damien Williams speaks during a press conference after announcing that U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez has been indicted on corruption charges at the SDNY office in New York City on September 22, 2023.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld | Getty Images
