Menendez Indictment Reveals 'Devastating' Envelopes of Cash, Gold Bars

Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, was indicted on Friday on bribery charges, with court documents revealing "devastating" evidence relating to envelopes of cash and gold bars found at his residence.

"Devastating evidence in Menendez indictment," Ryan Goodman, a former special counsel to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), wrote on X, formerly Twitter, sharing photos of the evidence that was included in the indictment.

In an unsealed indictment, prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York alleged that Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, "engaged in a corrupt relationship with three New Jersey associates and businessmen," identified as Will Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.

Friday's indictment stated that Menendez allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to use his power as a senator to protect the three businessmen "and to benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt."

"Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value," the indictment added.

In a statement obtained by Newsweek, Menendez responded to the indictment and said, "Since this investigation was leaked nearly a year ago, there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists...The excesses of these prosecutors is apparent. They have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office. On top of that, not content with making false claims against me, they have attacked my wife for the longstanding friendships she had before she and I even met."

The indictment marks the second time Menendez has been charged in a corruption related case, as he previously faced similar legal trouble in 2015, when he was charged by New Jersey prosecutors with conspiracy and bribery related crimes. However, the case ended in a hung jury and the charges against the senator were later dropped.

"I have been falsely accused before because I refused to back down to the powers that be and the people of New Jersey were able to see through the smoke and mirrors and recognize I was innocent. I have worked every day to repay their trust by fighting to create jobs, strengthen public safety, update infrastructure, and reduce costs for New Jersey families," Menendez added in his statement. "They wrote these charges as they wanted; the facts are not as presented. Prosecutors did that the last time and look what a trial demonstrates...I am confident that this matter will be successfully resolved once all of the facts are presented and my fellow New Jerseyans will see this for what it is."

According to the indictment, a search warrant was carried out in June 2022 at Menendez's residence, which resulted in federal agents finding "over $480,000 in cash—much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe," as well as another $70,000 found in his wife's safe deposit box. The indictment also said that some of the envelopes stuffed with cash contained DNA evidence of Daibes or his driver.

"During the same court-authorized search of the home, agents also found home furnishings provided by Hana and Daibes, the luxury vehicle paid for by Uribe parked in the garage, as well as over one hundred thousand dollars' worth of gold bars in the home, which were provided by either Hana or Daibes," the indictment said.

During a press conference on Friday morning, Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that three kilograms of gold were found at Menendez's residence.

"These three kilograms, together, are worth approximately $150,000," Williams said.

The indictment also alleges that in 2018, Nadine made contact with Hana and informed him that she was dating the New Jersey senator, and the two worked together over the next few months and years to "introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials to Menendez for the purpose of establishing and solidifying a corrupt agreement in which Hana, with assistance from Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe, the defendants, provided hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes to Menendez and Nadine Menendez, in exchange for Menendez's acts and breaches of duty to benefit the Government of Egypt."

Update: 9/22/23, 11:38 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include further information following a press conference by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York.

Update: 9/22/23, 11:51 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a response from Menendez.