Nadine Menendez, the wife of former US senator Bob Menendez, was convicted on Monday of teaming up with her husband to accept bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey men looking for help with their business dealings or legal troubles.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts in the same federal courthouse in Manhattan where a different jury convicted Bob Menendez of many of the same charges last year. The Democrat is supposed to begin serving an 11-year prison term in June.
Nadine Menendez’s sentencing was scheduled for June 12, six days after her husband is expected to report to prison.
The evidence shown to jurors over a three-week trial followed the timeline of the whirlwind romance between the couple that began in early 2018 and continued after criminal charges were brought against them in September 2023. Repeatedly during the trial, prosecutors said they were “partners in crime”.
During a 2022 raid on the couple’s Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home, FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) agents found nearly US$150,000 worth of gold bars and US$480,000 in cash stuffed in boots, shoeboxes and jackets. In the garage was a Mercedes-Benz convertible, also an alleged bribe.
Both Nadine and Bob Menendez said they are innocent and had never taken any bribes.
