NEW YORK — Sen. Bob Menendez, the third ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, entered a not guilty plea to
Menendez was arraigned in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alongside his wife, Nadine Menendez, and two other alleged co-conspirators: Fred Daibes, a developer and former banker in New Jersey, and Jose Uribe, who has business interests in insurance and trucking.
Menendez was released on his own recognizance after posting a $100,000 bond and forfeiting his personal passport. He still has his official passport as a senator, and is permitted to leave the country, but only with permission from the court. His wife, meanwhile, was released on a $250,000 bond secured by her home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Her travel will be limited to New York, New Jersey and South Florida, where she has family.
Uribe and Daibes were released on bonds of $2 million and $1 million, respectively. Daibes is also facing federal bank fraud charges in a separate case in New Jersey, for which he has a $10 million bond. Those funds will be transferred to the U.S. District Court in New York upon the New Jersey case's resolution, Judge Ona Wang said during the hearing.
Last week, federal
Hana was arraigned in the same court Tuesday and also pleaded not guilty.
Bob Menendez entered the wood-paneled courtroom on the 26th floor of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse just before 11:15 a.m. Dressed in a dark gray suit with pinstripes and a blue tie, the senator leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands while he waited for the hearing to begin.
During the 25-minute proceedings, Menendez stood only to give brief responses to questions from Wang. His lawyer, Seth Farber of Winston & Strawn, entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.
Nadine Menendez walked in just behind her husband, clad in a white-collared shirt and black pants. She sat upright in her seat, flanked by her two lawyers and stood at attention while Wang addressed her. She is being represented by Schertler Onorato Mead & Sears, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm.
All four defendants were arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit services fraud, which carry maximum sentences of five and 20 years, respectively. Bob and Nadine Menendez have also been charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, which carries a 20-year maximum sentence.
Prosecutors say Bob Menendez provided highly sensitive information to the government of Egypt, advocated for the release of U.S. financial aid to the country and signed off on a multimillion dollar military equipment deal, all of which helped Hana secure an export monopoly on halal-certified meat from the U.S. to Egypt.
Investigators say they found roughly $550,000 in cash, much of it stuffed into clothing, closets and a safe at the couple's New Jersey home. The senator has maintained that he did nothing wrong, saying he has withdrawn cash from his bank account for the past 30 years and set it aside in case of emergency and out of fear of confiscation.
Menendez vacated his position as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee last week, bowing to a Senate bylaw that bars members facing felony charges from serving in leadership. During the past week, several high ranking Democratic officials — including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Menendez's longtime colleague Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. — called for Menendez to resign from the Senate.
During a separate corruption trial of Menendez in 2017, Booker testified in support of his Senate colleague. That trial ended with a hung jury.
Menendez — who is up for reelection next year — has not said whether he will resign from his committee posts. He has carved out an influential role on the Senate Banking Committee, having used the position to successfully lobby for the appointment and confirmation of the first
Following his Wednesday court appearance, Menendez huddled with his wife and their attorneys. He leaned against a wall with his hands in his pockets for roughly five minutes before being escorted away by U.S. marshals. He and his wife held hands as they exited the courtroom.
The two remained in the courthouse for more than an hour before emerging through gilded doors on the east side of the building. They breezed past a gaggle of reporters and declined to answer questions before climbing into the back seat of a blue sedan.
