Federal investigators are presently scrutinizing New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez amid allegations that he acquired gold bars valued within the a whole bunch of hundreds of {dollars} from a convicted felon for help, as revealed in a just lately revealed report.
A federal grand jury convened to try to find out if corruption prices needs to be introduced in opposition to the long-time lawmaker and senior New Jersey senator, NBC’s native New York affiliate reported Wednesday. Witnesses have begun to testify.
At problem are Menendez’s ties to New Jersey actual property tycoon and ex-bank chairperson Fred Daibes. FBI and nationwide tax investigators are probing if Daibes gave Menendez’s spouse, Nadine Arslanian, gold bars value as much as $400,000.
The trade occurred on the similar time that Daibes was underneath federal investigation for financial institution fraud, prices that would have led him to spend a decade behind bars, NBC reported. A authorized skilled informed the news outlet that it may very well be prison if Menendez agreed to contact Justice Department officers concerning the case for the items.
“For functions of the Federal Extortion Act, it makes no distinction if the senator took an official act as long as he accepted the cash and there was data the cash was in trade for that official affect, even when he by no means carried out what he had promised he would do,” mentioned NBC authorized analyst Danny Cevallos.
Menendez disclosed that his household acquired the gold bars in 2020, however after the investigation into Daibes had begun, mentioned NBC.
New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed final 12 months to permit Daibes to plead responsible to at least one prison cost and serve probation. He had confronted dozens of financial institution fraud prices associated to a $1.8 million mortgage from Mariner’s Bank, the place he was chairperson.
Daibes’ sentencing has been delayed thrice previously 12 months by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Wigenton. His attorneys have denied he’s cooperating with federal prosecutors in opposition to Menendez, based on NBC.
But the gold bars trade is only one a part of the probe, mentioned NBC. Authorities are additionally analyzing whether or not Menendez or his spouse accepted items from IS EG Halal.
The start-up firm received a profitable contract with the Egyptian authorities to conduct all halal inspections for the U.S., regardless of not having any expertise within the subject.
Investigators are searching for to find out whether or not Menendez used his seat as Senate Foreign Relations chairperson to bolster the New Jersey firm’s bid in trade for items.
Menendez and IS EG Halal have denied any wrongdoing.
Source: www.dailysabah.com