In huge news that broke late in the day on Monday, April 21, Nadine Menendez, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), himself convicted on corruption and bribery charges and sentenced to 11 years for his bribe-taking, was convicted for her role in the bribery scandal that saw the Menendezes taking bribes of rolls of cash, huge gold bars, and a luxury vehicle.
As background, both members of the Menendez couple have now been convicted of taking bribes from three businessmen in New Jersey who attempted to extricate themselves from legal issues and get a leg up in business dealings in exchange for the bribes of cash, gold, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible.
According to evidence shown to the jury, when the FBI raided the home of the “partners in crime” in 2022, the agents with the Bureau found nearly $150,000 in gold bars, nearly half a million dollars in cash that was secreted away in everything from boots to boxes, and the aforementioned luxury convertible.
Those bribes, which Nadine Menendez was convicted of facilitating, paid for the New Jersey senator to arrange a monopoly for one New Jersey businessman, pressuring the New Jersey Attorney General’s office into ending an investigation into business associates of another businessman, and the protection of a third businessman, a real estate developer who was facing legal troubles.
Commenting on the conviction of Nadine Menendez in a press release, Acting United States Attorney Matthew Podolsky praised the jury for quickly convicting her and gave a brief overview of the case and what the Menendez couple was up to that led to the charges and conviction.
Beginning his statement, Podolsky described the two as “partners in crime,” saying, “Moments ago, a unanimous jury convicted Nadine Menendez for her critical role in a corruption and foreign influence scheme involving her husband, convicted former Senator Robert Menendez. Nadine Menendez and Senator Menendez were partners in crime.”
Continuing, Podolsky discussed what Nadine did that landed her in hot water, saying, “Over the span of five years, Nadine Menendez agreed to accept and accepted all sorts of bribes – including gold bars, cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and a no-show job – all in exchange for the Senator’s corrupt official acts.”
He then commented on what the two did as they accepted bribes from businessmen in exchange for corrupt actions, saying, “Together, Nadine Menendez and the Senator placed their own interests and greed ahead of the interests of the citizens the Senator was elected to serve.”
Concluding, he explained what the conviction shows and who was responsible for helping achieve it, saying, “Today’s verdict sends the clear message that the power of government officials may not be put up for sale, and that all those who facilitate corruption will be held accountable for their actions. I thank the career prosecutors of this Office and the special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation for their unwavering commitment to this case, and for their extraordinary efforts in ensuring that justice was done.”