Senator Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife faced 16 new allegations of obstruction in charges filed Tuesday in New York.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, face new charges in a third superseding indictment. The charges accuse them of having a corrupt relationship with three New Jersey associates and businessmen. These charges were filed on Tuesday.
There are allegations that the senator and his wife engaged in obstructing justice as they tried to conceal alleged bribe payments from New Jersey businessmen to Menendez.
Menendez has maintained his innocence in the face of recent allegations that he abused his position by acting as a representative for the Egyptian government.
Fresh charges have emerged as former New Jersey insurance broker Jose Uribe, a co-defendant in the Menendez corruption case, pleaded guilty on Friday in federal court. Uribe faced seven counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services wire fraud, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, and other charges related to his dealings with Menendez.
The senator, who belongs to the Democratic party, has been disregarding demands to step down, even from members within his own political party. He maintains his position despite an ongoing election for his Senate seat, which features notable candidates such as U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Tammy Murphy, the state’s first lady.
Prosecutors in Manhattan have accused Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine, of deliberately misrepresenting their awareness of a $23,000 payment made towards Nadine’s mortgage. They also allege that the couple instructed their legal counsel to inform the prosecutors that they were unaware of the full extent of the mortgage payments until 2022.
The indictment states that Menendez was well aware that the mortgage company payment and car payments were not loans, but rather bribe payments. The prosecutors emphasize that Menendez had learned about these payments prior to 2022.
In a statement released by his attorneys, Menendez, who has faced corruption charges in the past, maintained his innocence and criticized Tuesday’s indictment as a clear abuse of power. He referred to the prosecutors as overzealous in their pursuit.
