Pro-Armenian US senator puts his power up for sale Prosecutors’ closing remarks

During the closing argument at his bribery trial on July 8, a prosecutor accused Senator Bob Menendez of offering his influence for sale to benefit three New Jersey businessmen who allegedly bribed him with gold and cash.

Assistant US Attorney Paul Monteleoni delivered the presentation, which Senator Menendez dismissed as he left the courthouse, remarking, "The government is indulging in their own rhetoric", Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

Minutes earlier, Monteleoni urged the Manhattan federal court jury to meticulously examine a trail of hundreds of emails and text messages between the businessmen, Senator Menendez, and his wife to uncover the alleged connection between the businessmen and items such as stacks of cash, gold, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible found at the couple's home in June 2022. He emphasized that jurors would find fingerprint evidence linking the businessmen and Menendez to the bribes, including fingerprints on tape that secured thousands of dollars hidden in coat pockets, boots, and boxes within the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey residence owned by Nadine Menendez, the senator's wife.

Monteleoni argued there was a clear pattern of corruption and instructed jurors to closely scrutinize communications among the senator, his wife, and the businessmen to identify evidence of bribery and efforts to conceal their activities. Dismissing defense assertions that the gold in the house was predominantly inherited by Nadine Menendez, Monteleoni pointed to serial numbers on gold bars indicating they came from the businessmen who allegedly paid bribes.

"All claims about Nadine possessing family gold are a diversion," he concluded.

Prosecutors allege that in exchange for bribes, Senator Menendez took actions between 2018 and 2022 to protect or advance the business interests of businessmen, including pressuring a US Department of Agriculture official to preserve a halal certification monopoly Egypt had granted to New Jersey businessman Wael Hana. He also allegedly attempted to influence a federal prosecution involving another New Jersey businessman, Fred Daibes.

During the trial, jurors examined gold bars seized by federal agents from Menendez's home in June 2022. Additionally, the FBI discovered nearly half a billion dollars in cash, some of which was found in envelopes hidden inside Menendez's boots or a jacket bearing his name.

"They found envelope after envelope of cash," Monteleoni stated.

Prosecutors asserted that these cash bundles, along with the gold and a luxury convertible, constituted bribes from Menendez's co-defendants, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana.

Prosecutor Paul Monteleoni accused Senator Robert Menendez of leveraging his power in Washington not only for influence but also to amass personal wealth for himself and his wife. Menendez, who has pleaded not guilty to over a dozen charges, denies the allegations.

His defense team, anticipating closing arguments on July 9, has sought to shift blame to his wife, Nadine Menendez, who faces a separate trial, delayed due to her treatment for advanced breast cancer. Defense attorneys argue that Menendez was unaware of his wife's alleged demands from businessmen in exchange for his assistance.

Prosecutors rebutted this defense strategy, emphasizing Menendez's prominent role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before stepping down following his indictment in September 2023.

"You don't get to be the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by being clueless," Monteleoni asserted.

Despite calls from many Democratic Senate colleagues, Menendez has chosen not to resign from the Senate.