...
By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Closing statements in the federal corruption trial of Senator Robert Menendez began on Monday with prosecutors telling jurors "he also wanted to pile up riches for himself and his wife."
The New Jersey Democrat is facing 16 charges, including obstruction of justice, bribery, extortion and public official acting as a foreign agent.
His wife, Nadine Menendez, is facing 15 charges for her alleged role in the scheme. She was originally scheduled to be tried alongside her husband, but her trial was delayed until August. Robert Menendez revealed his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer in May just as the trial started.
Read More on News
The senator was tried alongside two co-defendants, New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes. All three pleaded not guilty.
Robert and Nadine Menendez are accused of sharing "highly sensitive" information with Egyptian officials, including information about the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and military aid to Egypt. The two also allegedly spoke positively of the Qatari government when a businessman involved in the scheme was trying to obtain an investment from a company linked to the government.
...
The trial began in May and is now entering its ninth week.
Prosecutors claim that Robert Menendez used his power and influence to obtain lavish gifts, such as gold bars which were shown to jurors in court, cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, furniture and payments on a home mortgage.
"It wasn't enough for him to be one of the most powerful people in Washington," Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni said in his closing argument. "He also wanted to pile up riches for himself and his wife."
...
Monteleoni pointed to hundreds of emails and text messages between the businessmen, the senator and his wife. He also said Robert Menendez and the businessmen's fingerprints were found on tape used to bind large amounts of cash found at the senator's Englewood Cliffs home.
Monteleoni's closing argument is expected to last about five hours and continue into Tuesday. The defense will then present their closing argument, after which the jury will begin deliberations.
The defense team has argued that Robert Menendez was unaware of his wife's dealings with businessmen in the alleged scheme.
The senator chose not to testify, claiming the prosecution failed to prove the case against him.
Robert Menendez was tried on corruption charges back in 2017, which ended in a hung jury on all 18 charges.
...
The senator was first elected in 2006. He is up for re-election in November, but he decided to run as an independent rather than pursue the Democratic nomination. He will be running against Democratic nominee Rep. Andy Kim and Republican nominee and entrepreneur Curtis Bashaw.
According to campaign data, Menendez has raised more than $300,000 since being indicted last year.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines