Sen. Bob Menendez's Wife Nadine Claims Gold Bars in FBI Raid Were Inherited From Her Late Mother
Details on an agreement, if any, Uribe struck with the government in the case are unknown.
Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez's wife, Nadine, claimed gold bars recovered at her home in an FBI raid belonged to her late mother, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The New Jersey senator and his wife have been accused of acting as foreign agents in an alleged bribery scheme with three businessmen to benefit themselves and advance the interests of the Qatari and Egyptian governments.
Menendez is accused of accepting bribes from Uribe in exchange to block a criminal investigation.
According to court documents, in addition to the gold bars, a "James Bond" phone, a $35,000 engagement ring, and $100,000 in cash, which was found stuffed in a pair of boots, are all said to be central to the investigation into the senator and his wife.
Menendez is accused of accepting bribes over the last five years in exchange for favors.
Now, Nadine and her husband are claiming the gold bars are actually family heirlooms.
Menendez's trial is set to begin May 6.
Court documents revealed a Menendez told a staffer and a jeweler that the gold bars were inherited from his late mother-in-law.
Prosecutors responded by branding the senator's claims a "false cover story" about how the couple acquired the gold bars.
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Businessman accused of bribing Bob Menendez pleads guilty to seven criminal charges.
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FBI investigators allege the gold bars were bribery payments from one of the three businessmen accused of being involved in the scheme.
Fred Daibes, a New Jersey developer, is accused of paying Menendez to pressure the U.S. attorney's office not to prosecute him in a bank fraud case.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the serial numbers on the gold bars recovered in the FBI raid at the Menendez home matched serial numbers Daibes listed as stolen in a home robbery years before.
Menendez vowed to fight his charges and has refused to resigned from office.
In 2013, Daibes' penthouse was broken into, and the gold bars were among the items the real estate developer listed as stolen in the incident. Police eventually tracked down the suspects and returned the gold bars to Daibes.
Daibes signed official documentation certifying that the gold bars were owned by himself and his wife. In addition to Daibes, prosecutors alleged Egyptian-American businessman Wael Hana also bribed the senator and his wife for favors.
Hana, who made his fortune off a Halal company, allegedly sought favors for his business. Prosecutors claim his deal with the couple fell apart when he paid them with a ring that he claimed was worth $35,000 but was eventually appraised at $12,000.
The senator, his wife, and the three businessmen pled not guilty to their charges.
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