Authorities announced twelve new criminal charges against New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez Tuesday, unsealing a superseding indictment that directly alleges bribery, extortion and obstruction of justice. Menendez is accused of improperly using his political influence and acting as an agent of the Egyptian government.
Menendez is now charged with 16 counts in total.
Menendez and his wife Nadine were first indicted in the case in October of 2023, when they were both charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy to commit fraud.
In 2022 authorities reviewed Menendez's email accounts and searched his home, where they found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars.
They also obtained a warrant for related cellphones in 2023.
Sen. Menendez charged with acting as a foreign agent for Egypt
Menendez is accused of receiving bribes, including cash, gold bars and a luxury car, to sway his stance on foreign affairs.
Three New Jersey businessmen who were named in the initial indictment are also newly charged in the superseding indictment: Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.
Uribe pleaded guilty on March 1 to attempting to bribe Menendez. He has agreed to testify in the case against the senator.
Menendez pleaded not guilty to the initial charges and has resisted pressure to resign from the Senate.
Trial for Menendez and the other defendants is scheduled for May.
