US Senator Bob Menendez and his wife accused of bribery
Prosecutors say Mr. Menendez and his wife accepted gold bars and envelopes of cash from New Jersey businessmen.
The senator and his wife accepted the money to secretly aid the Egyptian government, prosecutors allege.
Both Mr and Ms Menendez have vehemently denied the charges.
The pair each face three criminal counts: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.
The indictment comes after a years-long Justice Department investigation.
Prosecutors allege Mr Menendez and his wife Nadine accepted bribes of cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage and a luxury vehicle from three New Jersey men: Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.
In addition to helping the Egyptian government, they also took the bribes to use Mr Menendez's power as a senator to protect the three businessmen, according to the indictment.
Mr Menendez, 69, is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee and was elected to a third term in the Senate in 2018.
His "leadership position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (the "SFRC"), first as the Ranking Member and then the Chairman" allowed him to peddle influence in these areas, the 39-page indictment says.
In a statement from her lawyers, Mrs Menendez denied any wrongdoing and said she will defend herself in court.
Mr Menendez also denied the allegations and painted them as politically motivated.
0 Comment