NJ Sen. Bob Menendez Pleads Not Guilty to New Obstruction Charges

(New York Daily News/TNS) — New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty to new obstruction charges on Monday in his Manhattan bribery case.

At a brief Manhattan Federal Court hearing, the Garden State Democrat, his wife Nadine Menendez, and two New Jersey businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, entered pleas of not guilty to new charges prosecutors filed last week alleging they sought to cover up a bribery scheme.

Judge Sidney Stein also denied a defense motion to postpone the trial, which is scheduled to begin in less than 10 weeks. It’s expected to last for about two months.

Menendez is set to stand trial May 6 on 18 bribery and obstruction charges, in part alleging he conspired to act as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government in his powerful role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, abused his position to advance Qatari interests in exchange for gold bullion bars, flashy watches, and Formula 1 tickets, and related offenses. He denies all allegations.

Menendez was last week charged with new offenses alleging he relayed false information to the feds in claiming through his lawyers that he believed thousands of dollars paid to his wife towards a sports car and mortgage payments weren’t bribes but loans of money.

The new charges filed last week came days after Jose Uribe, one of the men indicted alongside Menendez and his wife last fall, pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud, obstruction, and related counts in a prosecution agreement. Per the terms of the deal, Uribe is expected to testify at the trial.

“I agreed with several people, including Nadine Menendez, to provide Nadine with a Mercedes-Benz in return for Senator Menendez using his power and influence as a United States Senator to get a favorable outcome and to stop all investigations related to one of my associates, and, if necessary, to stop the possible investigation into another person who I considered to be a member of my family,” Uribe said in court March 1.

“I made certain payments on the Mercedes in a manner to conceal my involvement because I knew it was wrong. I knew that giving a car in return for influencing a United States Senator to stop a criminal investigation was wrong, and I deeply regret my actions.”

Uribe told the court that after receiving a subpoena for more information about thousands of dollars that he fronted Nadine Menendez for a sports car, he met with the senator’s wife to discuss a cover story to tell the feds.

“Later that afternoon, I met with Nadine at a Marriott, and she asked what was I going to say if somebody asked me about the car payments. I told her that I would say a good friend of mine was in a financial situation and I was helping that friend to make the payments on the car, and when she was financially stable, she will pay me back. Nadine says something like, that sounds good,” Uribe said.

“Later in time, I told the same story to my attorneys at the time, and they transmitted that false story to the United States Office in New York with my approval.”

Menendez, 70, resigned from his Senate Foreign Relations Committee role after facing charges but has refused to leave office. He’s the first sitting congressman charged with conspiring to act as a foreign agent as a public official.