(NationRise.com) – The prosecutor in New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez’s bribery trial told the jury the Democrat “sold the power of his office” for personal gain for himself and his wife.
FBI agents raided the Menendez home in 2002 and discovered an envelope full of money, boots with cash stuffed inside them, then jackets filled with more cash, and about $150,000 in gold bars. Menendez maintains that he was in the habit of storing cash and precious metals in his home rather than at a bank.
But according to prosecutor Paul M. Monteleoni, the cash wasn’t there because Menendez liquidated his bank assets, but because he was paid off by operatives who wanted his influence and cooperation to serve Egyptian business interests. And Menendez’s greed did him in, Monteleoni said. It wasn’t good enough to have the power that comes from being a U.S. Senator, he claimed, and Menendez “wanted to use [that power] to pile up riches for himself and his wife.”
Monteleoni made the remarks during his closing arguments in the trial that has already spanned nine weeks in the Federal District Court in Manhattan. The prosecution contends that the two other men on trial, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, also made out well in the scheme as they helped get bribes into the pockets of Menendez and his wife, Nadine.
In exchange for the cash rewards, Monteleoni said Egypt got financial aid and weapons from Menendez. He is also accused of using his influence as a Senator to aid the Qatar government. Menendez also helped keep Wael Hana’s halal certification program—described as a monopoly—afloat and ran interference to stop criminal investigations into Fred Daibes’ real estate business ventures, according to the prosecution.
Menendez is charged with 16 felonies. These include conspiracy, bribery, “honest services fraud,” extortion, acting as an agent for a foreign country, obstruction of justice, and more. Menendez has maintained his innocence since charges were first brought against him in 2023.
Now that the prosecution has given its final statement, Menendez’s lawyer, Adam Fee, made closing statements on Menendez’s behalf, followed by the same from lawyers for Wael Hana and Fred Daibes.
Copyright 2024, NationRise.com
