Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) pleaded not guilty to new obstruction of justice charges in a New York court on March 11.
The new charges—conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice—allege that both Mr. Menendez and his wife attempted to conceal their alleged bribery scheme.
They were added to a third superseding indictment that was filed last week in Manhattan federal court.
“Once again, not guilty, your honor,” the 70-year-old Democrat congressman told District Court Judge Sidney Stein. Mr. Menendez’s wife, Nadine, also pleaded not guilty.
The couple were initially indicted in September 2023, charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion.
Prosecutors previously alleged that Mr. Menendez and his wife accepted bribes—which included mortgage payments, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible—from New Jersey businessmen Jose Uribe, Wael Hana, and Fred Daibes.
In return, the senator allegedly performed actions to benefit the three men, including allegedly intervening in a New Jersey state criminal case involving an associate of Mr. Uribe, as well as a federal investigation into Mr. Daibes.
Mr. Menendez also allegedly worked to benefit the men’s business interests in Egypt.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges in October 2023.
Two superseding indictments were filed, including one on Jan. 2, which alleged that Mr. Menendez and his wife attempted to conceal the bribes through repayment efforts after a federal grand jury subpoenaed all five defendants in June 2022.
However, these latest allegations claim that Mr. Menendez and his wife caused their then-attorneys to provide false representations about the payments to the prosecution, allegedly telling them that their client had been unaware of the money given by Mr. Hana for the mortgage on his wife’s New Jersey home and the money paid by Mr. Uribe toward her Mercedes-Benz until 2022.
The latest indictment was filed on March 5.
On March 8, Mr. Uribe announced that he would plead guilty to counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, attempt and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, attempted tax evasion, and obstructing justice by making false and misleading statements to federal investigators.
He also agreed to testify against the others at the previously determined May 6 trial.
In a statement last week, Mr. Menendez said that prosecutors have “long known that I learned of and helped repay loans—not bribes—that had been provided to my wife.”
Mr. Daibes and Mr. Hana also pleaded not guilty on March 11.
As of March 11, Mr. Menendez faces counts in New York federal court for conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, conspiracy to commit honest wire fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion, extortion, conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice.
Mr. Menendez stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after the charges against him were announced in fall 2023. However, he has retained his seat in the Senate.
The Associated Press and Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
