The jury has begun deliberations in the bribery case involving Nadine Menendez. Prosecutors allege her involvement in a complex, five-year fraud scheme alongside her husband, the former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez. Proceedings commenced in the Manhattan federal court as the jury started reviewing the case against the 58-year-old resident of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Bob Menendez, aged 71 and a former Democratic senator from New Jersey, is scheduled to serve an 11-year prison term starting in June. His political career, which began in the Senate in 2006, ended following his conviction last year, leading to his resignation from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he held significant influence.
The defense, represented by Barry Coburn, argued that the evidence presented was not substantial enough to warrant a conviction against Nadine Menendez. However, the prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Richenthal, countered this argument by urging the jury to consider the substantial findings by the FBI. These included over $450,000 in cash and gold bars valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars found in their home. Richenthal dismissed claims of these being gifts, categorizing them as unequivocal bribes, and labeled Nadine Menendez as an active and pivotal participant in the fraudulent activities.
Nadine Menendez, originally from Lebanon with Armenian heritage, began her relationship with Bob Menendez in early 2018, known then as Nadine Arslanian. Prosecutors claim she became involved in a bribery operation that included three businessmen from New Jersey. The couple formalized their relationship in marriage in the fall of 2020.