what to know – NBC New York

For the second time in a decade, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez faces a corruption trial Monday along with his political profession and freedom on the road in a legal case that already has compelled him out of probably the most highly effective posts in Congress.

The 70-year-old New Jersey Democrat and his spouse are accused of accepting bribes from three rich businessmen in his house state and performing quite a lot of favors in return, together with meddling in legal investigations and taking actions benefitting the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

Menendez’s attorneys say he stayed inside the guidelines and did nothing unlawful. He has optimistically spoken about mounting a reelection marketing campaign the summer season if he’s acquitted.

However even when he escapes with out a conviction, as he did in a earlier corruption prosecution in 2017, the harm achieved to his popularity might make a political comeback subsequent to unimaginable.

FBI brokers who searched the senator’s New Jersey house discovered a stash of gold bars, value greater than $100,000, and greater than $486,000 in money, a few of it stuffed into the pockets of clothes hanging in his closets.

His fellow Democrats in Washington, D.C., seem to have already written him off, encouraging him repeatedly to resign.

“The proof towards him is vivid,” stated Dan Cassino, government director of the Fairleigh Dickinson College ballot. “This isn’t paperwork or checks: it’s gold bars. The photographs are highly effective, and on condition that New Jersey voters sometimes don’t know loads concerning the officers representing them, this could be the one factor they learn about Menendez.”

Menendez has maintained a defiant stance.

“I’m harmless and can show it regardless of what number of fees they proceed to pile on,” he stated after the indictment towards him was up to date once more in early March so as to add fees that he tried to hinder the investigation.

Menendez was compelled to relinquish his highly effective place as chairman of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee quickly after the revelation final fall of fees together with bribery, fraud, extortion and performing as a overseas agent of Egypt.

The senator’s attorneys have urged in court docket papers that he’ll defend himself partially by claiming his spouse, Nadine, stored him in the dead of night about her dealings with the businessmen, who are also charged within the case.

Considered one of them, Jose Uribe, pleaded responsible and is anticipated to testify. He was accused of shopping for a Mercedes-Benz for Nadine Menendez after her earlier automobile was destroyed when she struck and killed a person crossing the road. She didn’t face legal fees in reference to the deadly crash.

Prosecutors stated Sen. Menendez twice tried to assist Uribe by making an attempt to affect legal investigations involving his enterprise associates.

One other man, Wael Hana, is accused of paying off Menendez for serving to him get a profitable cope with the Egyptian authorities to certify that imported meat met Islamic dietary necessities. Prosecutors stated Menendez curried favor with Egyptian officers via acts together with ghostwriting a letter to fellow senators encouraging them to carry a maintain on $300 million in army assist.

Menendez additionally pressured a U.S. agriculture official to cease opposing Hana’s firm as the only halal certifier, prosecutors stated.

The third businessman, actual property developer Fred Daibes, is accused of delivering gold bars and money to Menendez and his spouse to get the senator to make use of his clout to assist him safe a multimillion-dollar cope with a Qatari funding fund, together with by taking actions favorable to Qatar’s authorities.

Nadine Menendez was charged alongside along with her husband however her trial was postponed till not less than July as a result of a well being downside. Her actions, although, will likely be key to the narrative prosecutors will ship to jurors via dozens of witnesses throughout a trial projected to last as long as two months.

Federal prosecutors say Sen. Bob Menendez and his spouse gave a false cowl story to 2 individuals about how they acquired the gold bars concerned within the alleged bribery scheme, because the senator has by no means stated how he acquired the gold. And now there’s new details about the money discovered within the senator’s house, and maybe some form of engagement ring swindle. NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst experiences.

The three-term senator has held workplace at each stage of presidency in New Jersey. He acquired his begin within the rough-and-tumble political world of Hudson County, an space throughout from Manhattan identified for influential occasion bosses.

Menendez was two years out of highschool in 1974 when he was elected to Union Metropolis’s schooling board. After stints within the New Jersey state Meeting, state Senate and ultimately the U.S. Home, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2006, when Jon Corzine resigned to develop into governor. He gained election later that 12 months.

His political profession had its first main disaster in 2015 when he was indicted on fees involving a rich Florida eye physician accused of shopping for Menendez’s affect via luxurious holidays and marketing campaign contributions.

On the time, Menendez resolutely denied the costs and vowed to not give up the Senate. A trial led to 2017 with a deadlocked jury and federal prosecutors in New Jersey deserted the case.

Menendez not solely stayed in Congress, he was reelected and stored his chairmanship of the Overseas Relations Committee. He married Nadine Menendez in 2020 after the couple dated for 2 years.

Menendez has remained within the Senate after this newest indictment, too, ignoring requires him to step down earlier than his six-year time period ends Jan. 3. Though he has stated he gained’t run for reelection as a Democrat, he has left open the potential for an impartial run. That might complicate issues for Democrats who’ve a slender edge within the U.S. Senate and may hardly afford the prospect of a three-way election within the Democratic stronghold of New Jersey.

Not like in 2015, although, his occasion largely deserted him. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and others known as on him to resign. Democratic Rep. Andy Kim launched a marketing campaign for Menendez’s seat the day after the indictment.

Decide Sidney H. Stein has rejected Menendez’s try to say legislative immunity protects him from the costs.

The choose has but to rule on whether or not the protection can name a psychiatrist to point out Menendez habitually saved money in his house as a “worry of shortage” response to household tales about how their financial savings have been confiscated within the Communist revolution in Cuba, earlier than he was born, and due to monetary issues stemming from the playing downside of his father, a struggling carpenter.