WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N. J. , is facing allegations that he accepted gifts in exchange for comments favorable to Qatar, according to a second indictment unsealed Tuesday.
The indictment does not rate Menendez with more crimes, but includes new indictments at the rates of the first indictment that replaced the October indictment and the original September indictment.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, are charged with four counts similar to an alleged bribery scheme in which prosecutors say they accepted lavish gifts in exchange for their strength and influence as a U. S. senator to gain advantages for three businessmen and the Egyptian government. They denied any bad march.
The latest indictment expands on accusations coming with Qatar, accusing Menendez of helping one of the businessmen, who was seeking a multimillion-dollar investment from a company with ties to the Qatari government, through several public statements to the government.
In June 2021, Menendez introduced the businessman, Fred Daibes, to an investor who was a member of the Qatari royal family and principal of an investment company, according to the indictment. The Qatari investor proceeded to negotiate a multimillion-dollar investment into a real estate project that Daibes was seeking financing for in New Jersey.
While the Qatari company contemplated investing, Menendez “made several public statements supporting the government of Qatar” and then provided those statements to Daibes so that the businessman could share them with the Qatari investor and a Qatari government official, according to the indictment.
“You have to send it to him. I’m about to break free,” Menendez allegedly said in a message to Daibes on Aug. 20, 2021.
The following month, the indictment claims that the senator and businessman attended a personal event in New York hosted by the Qatari government. A few days later, Daibes sent Menendez photographs of luxury watches ranging in value from $9,990 to $23,990, asking Menendez, “How about one of these?” the indictment states.
Upon returning from Qatar in Egypt in October 2021, Menendez allegedly searched for “how much a kilo of gold is worth. ” Around the same time, Daibes was texting Menendez about a pro-Qatar Senate solution, according to prosecutors.
Months later, as Daibes was set to meet with the Qatari investor in London, Menendez allegedly texted both of them: “Greetings. I understand my friend is going to visit with you on the 15th of the month. I hope that this will result in the favorable and mutually beneficial agreement that you have been both engaged in discussing.”
The indictment alleges that Menendez and Daibes met privately with the Qataris in March 2022. Two months later, the Qataris signed a letter of intent to pass Daibes, who then gave Menendez at least a ban on passage, the prosecutors said. prosecutors.
Menéndez “continued to obtain valuables” from the Qataris, including tickets for family members to the Formula 1 Grand Prix held in Miami, according to the indictment.
Adam Fee, Menendez’s lawyer, said in a statement that the allegations are “a string of baseless assumptions and bizarre conjectures based on routine, lawful contacts between a Senator and his constituents or foreign officials.”
“At all times, Senator Menendez has acted entirely with respect to Qatar, Egypt, and many other countries with which he interacts in a normal way,” Fee said.