Embattled Senator Bob Menendez Hit With New Bribery Allegations

NEW JERSEY — A federal grand jury has filed a new superseding indictment against New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, saying he used his clout to connect a business partner with a member of the Qatar royal family in exchange for bribes.

In the latest version of the indictment against the Democrat, Menendez is accused of leveraging his position to help a friend get a multimillion-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund — partly by taking actions that favors the other country's government.

The indictment, filed Tuesday in New York, said the senator and his wife Nadine accepted bribes from Edgewater real estate developer Fred Daibes as a reward for several corrupt acts that included his help securing a major investment from the Qatari fund. Those bribes included gold bars, cash, and even tickets to a Formula One race for one of Nadine Menendez's relatives, prosecutors allege.

Prosecutors said Menendez introduced Daibes to a member of Qatar’s royal family who was also a principal in the investment firm, as well as meeting personally with Qatari officials and making public statements supportive of Qatar while the real estate deal was being negotiated.

The indictment said that while the Qatari investment company was considering its investment in the Daibes real estate development, Menendez made multiple public statements supporting the government of Qatar and then provided them to Daibes so he could share them with the Qatari investor and a Qatari government official.

The indictment said the Qatari investor eventually invested tens of millions of dollars in Daibes’ development project, in a deal finalized in 2023.

Adam Fee, a lawyer for Menendez, said in a statement that prosecutors lacked proof of any wrongdoing.

“What they have instead is a string of baseless assumptions and bizarre conjectures based on routine, lawful contacts between a Senator and his constituents or foreign officials. They are turning this into a persecution, not a prosecution,” he said.

In October, authorities accused the Menendezes of accepting bribes from businessmen (including Daibes), who sought the senator’s help and influence over foreign affairs. This new indictment amends and replaces the original in listing the formal charges against the defendants.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Previous coverage

• Gold Bars For Govt. Documents: Feds Say NJ Sen. Menendez Aided Egypt
• Gold Bars Found In Sen. Menendez's Home Linked To Robbery: Report
• Judge Rejects Sen. Menendez's Request To Delay Bribery Trial