Thus far, no one is saying what this man has done to upset the Deep State. he was their darling for so many years, then all of a sudden, the powers of the DOJ are released on him. Makes you think, huh!
A key witness in Senator Bob Menendez’s corruption trial is set to testify about an alleged bribery attempt involving a luxury car for the senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez. The witness, Jose Uribe, a New Jersey insurance broker who was indicted alongside Menendez, pleaded guilty in March. Uribe admitted to purchasing a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible to influence the senator. He is now cooperating with prosecutors.
Here’s a 2019 video of Senator Bob Menendez making accusations against President Donald Trump of being a foreign agent for Russia.
Senator Bob Menendez has just been charged with acting as foreign agent by a grand jury in New York.
Would be a shame if this went viral. pic.twitter.com/ZkcpIV0eKf
— Steve 🇺🇸 (@SteveLovesAmmo) October 12, 2023
During his March hearing, Uribe revealed that he conspired with Nadine Menendez and others to buy her the car in exchange for the senator using his power to achieve favorable outcomes and halt investigations related to one of Uribe’s associates. Uribe also confessed that he aimed to prevent a possible investigation into another person he considered family, acknowledging he concealed his involvement in the car payments because he knew it was wrong.
Charlie Slavoj https://t.co/fdKmaxS68T
— Bob Menendez’s Morton’s Table (@cybernrxtics) June 7, 2024
The senator’s corruption trial, now in its fourth week, has seen prosecutors use text messages, emails, voicemails, and financial records to depict Menendez and his wife as partners in a complex bribery scheme. This scheme allegedly involved a halal meat monopoly, the Egyptian and Qatari governments, and attempts to influence several criminal investigations.
Menendez is being tried alongside two New Jersey businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes. Hana, the founder of a halal certification firm, and Daibes, a real estate entrepreneur, have each pleaded not guilty. Nadine Menendez’s trial has been delayed as she undergoes breast cancer treatment. She has also pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors presented evidence showing Hana introduced Uribe to Nadine Menendez after she was involved in a fatal car crash in December 2018. Although she was not charged, she complained to Hana about her lack of a car following the crash. Uribe, desperate to help a business associate charged with insurance fraud and an employee under investigation, saw an opportunity.
A key witness in the corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez is expected to testify Friday about what he says was an attempt to bribe the New Jersey Democrat by buying his wife, Nadine Menendez, a new Mercedes-Benz convertible. https://t.co/LAdsvCUoxY
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) June 7, 2024
In January 2019, the senator allegedly called New Jersey’s attorney general to try to disrupt the insurance fraud case. This attempt failed, and Uribe’s associate eventually pleaded guilty. However, the investigation into Uribe’s employee, considered a family member by Uribe, continued.
Prosecutors say Uribe and Nadine Menendez agreed that he would buy her the car she needed, and in return, the senator, whom she married the following year, would try to make the investigation go away. By early April 2019, Nadine Menendez had her new car after meeting Uribe in a restaurant parking lot where he gave her $15,000 in cash for a down payment. “Congrats, mon amour de la vie, we are delighted to be owner of a 2019 Mercedes,” she reportedly texted the senator.
Uribe arranged for the car payments, instructing an associate not to use anything with his name on it, according to text messages shown to jurors. After the FBI searched their home in June 2022, discovering stacks of cash, gold bars, and the Mercedes, Nadine Menendez and Uribe met to discuss their story. Uribe told the court that they agreed on a cover story about a friend in financial trouble for whom he was helping make car payments.
Jurors saw logs of a 7-minute phone call from the senator to ex-NJ AG Gurbir Grewal, and texts from Nadine Menendez asking for his input on color schemes of two Mercedes convertibles.
“Like them both whatever you prefer,” Bob Menendez texted Nadine.https://t.co/jvTbNjnSad
— Luc Cohen (@cohenluc) June 6, 2024
Prosecutors say the senator then wrote a check to his wife, who wrote one to Uribe, portraying it as a loan. This was allegedly a lie to hide the earlier bribe. Menendez’s attorneys have tried to deflect blame onto his wife, arguing that Menendez was largely unaware of her dealings with the businessmen. “She kept Bob out of those discussions,” his attorney, Avi Weitzman, claimed.
This testimony and the evidence presented are central to the prosecution’s case, painting a picture of a scheme where personal and political favors were exchanged for luxury items and other benefits. The trial continues as more details emerge about the alleged corruption involving one of New Jersey’s prominent political figures.
Key Points:
- Jose Uribe, a key witness in Senator Bob Menendez’s corruption trial, is set to testify about bribing the senator by buying his wife, Nadine Menendez, a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible.
- Uribe, an indicted New Jersey insurance broker who pleaded guilty in March, admitted to conspiring with Nadine Menendez and others to influence the senator’s actions in exchange for the car.
- Prosecutors presented evidence, including text messages and financial records, showing the senator and his wife were involved in a complex bribery scheme with New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes.
- The bribery involved attempts to influence criminal investigations and facilitate a halal meat monopoly, with Uribe providing cash for the car in exchange for the senator’s efforts to disrupt an insurance fraud case.
- After an FBI search in 2022 revealed cash, gold bars, and the Mercedes, Uribe and Nadine Menendez coordinated their stories to conceal the true nature of the car payments, which were falsely characterized as a loan.
Fallon Jacobson – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News