Democratic Senator Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine have been charged with bribery
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine Arslanian have been indicted by a federal grand jury on corruption charges.
The panel answered the complaint over claims that he had an improper relationship with three New Jersey businessmen. The investigation focused on a luxury car, gold bars and an apartment allegedly received by Menendez and his wife.
The FBI and the IRS investigated whether developer Fred Daibe’s wife Nadine gave up to $400,000 in gold bars.
More to follow
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine have been indicted by a federal grand jury on corruption charges.
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., right, and his wife Nadine Arslanian
The indictment accuses Menendez and his wife of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for using the senator’s influence to protect and enrich the businessman.
“These bribes included cash, gold, mortgage payments, compensation for a low- or no-show job, a luxury car and other items of value,” the indictment said.
It is the second time that Menendez has been charged with corruption. A 2015 case ended in failure after a jury failed to reach a verdict on all counts and a judge acquitted him on some charges.
Menendez is running for re-election to his New Jersey Senate seat and already faces at least one Democratic challenger in the primary.
If Menendez were to resign before the end of his term, New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Philip Murphy, would appoint a successor.
