In New York, during the closing arguments of a high-profile trial, a prosecutor labeled Nadine Menendez as the “partner in crime” of her husband, Bob Menendez, urging a jury to convict her of bribery. The prosecution argued that Nadine collaborated with her spouse, a former Democratic Senator, to leverage his influential position to benefit several New Jersey businessmen.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni presented evidence to a Manhattan federal court, highlighting that significant amounts of cash and gold bars were discovered in the Menendez household located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, during an FBI raid in 2022. “The defendant helped Robert Menendez put his power up for grabs,” Monteleoni remarked, pointing out a “clear pattern of corruption” evidently displayed by the couple.
Monteleoni claimed that the Menendez duo essentially put the senator’s authority on sale, with Nadine Menendez serving as a liaison who communicated with the businessmen and her husband, ensuring all parties knew what they would receive in return for their substantial bribes. Bob Menendez, aged 71, is scheduled to start an 11-year prison sentence in June, having been found guilty of bribery in the previous year. Initially, Nadine was to be tried alongside him, but her proceedings were delayed due to a breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery.
Nadine Menendez, of Armenian descent and originally from Lebanon, began dating the senator in early 2018 when she was recognized as Nadine Arslanian. Prosecutors allege she soon became entangled in a bribery scheme involving a businessman she had been acquainted with independently before her marriage to the senator in fall 2020.
In contrast, defense attorney Barry Coburn implored the jury to exonerate Nadine Menendez, asserting that the prosecution failed to substantiate their claims. “These things we’re talking about here are unproven,” Coburn stated, defending that the senator’s interactions with the businessmen were aligned with his duties as a politician serving his constituents.
Coburn cited one example involving businessman Wael Hana, who orchestrated a monopoly with the Egyptian government to ensure U.S.-exported meat met religious standards, thereby supporting job creation in New Jersey, which he argued was the type of initiative the senator ought to promote. Hana was convicted last year and given an eight-year prison term, while another businessman, Fred Daibes, received a seven-year sentence. A third businessman who confessed and testified against the others is yet to be sentenced.
Following his conviction, Bob Menendez, whose Senate career began in 2006, resigned and had to relinquish his role as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Coburn refuted the prosecution’s claims of malicious intentions, challenging the absence of evidence of corruption despite testimonies from witnesses who did not see Nadine Menendez in Hana’s office after her engagement as a consultant. “Where is the legal requirement that a consultant be in the office?” Coburn inquired, challenging the government’s assertions.