Menendez’s Legal Strategy May Accuse Wife, Court Filing Reveals

TL/DR –

Senator Bob Menendez may attempt to blame his wife for withholding information in a federal bribery case, according to newly unsealed court documents. This strategy was initially kept under wraps to avoid tainting the jury pool, but was made public following a request from media organizations. Both Menendez and his wife, who were charged in a scheme involving bribery and benefits to the Egyptian government, will be tried separately, with Menendez’s trial commencing in May.

Sen. Bob Menendez May Blame Wife in Bribery Case, Court Documents Indicate

According to recently unsealed court documents, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) may impute his wife, Nadine Menendez, for withholding information leading to federal bribery charges against him.

The documents, unsealed on Tuesday, reveal the senator’s lawyers’ intention to demonstrate the “absence of any improper intent on Senator Menendez’s part,” contending that his wife either hid information from him or misled him to believe that no illegal activities were taking place.

Initially, Menendez’s legal team sought to keep this defense strategy sealed, fearing it could bias the jury pool. However, after media organizations requested disclosure, a judge ordered the release of these passages.

A federal judge ruled last week that the senator and his wife would be tried separately. Bob Menendez’s trial will begin on May 6 in Manhattan federal court, while Nadine Menendez’s trial is set to start later this summer.

The Menendez couple, along with two associates, were charged in September for a plot involving gold bars, cash stacks, and attempts to exploit the senator’s influential position to clandestinely benefit the Egyptian government.

In March, prosecutors expanded the charges to include extortion and obstruction of justice. The updated indictment claims that Menendez and his wife accepted bribes, including cash, gold, and a luxury car, to use the senator’s influence for the benefit of the Egyptian and Qatari governments.

Prosecutors allege one bribe was a new Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible for Nadine when she began dating Menendez. She received this luxury vehicle from a business associate of a friend in exchange for Menendez’s alleged attempts to disrupt criminal proceedings involving two individuals close to that associate, who was also charged with the couple, along with two other business executives in New Jersey.

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