Menendez Charged with Aiding Qatari Government

On Jan. 2, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was charged under a second superseding indictment for allegedly using his political influence to benefit the government of Qatar. In Sept. 2023, the senator was first charged for allegedly using his power and influence to benefit the Egyptian government. 

The superseding indictment introduces new allegations against Menendez, including that he accepted cash and gold bars from codefendant Fred Daibes knowing that he “expected Menendez in exchange to seek to induce the Qatari Investment Company to invest with Daibes, including by taking action favorable to the Government of Qatar.” What’s more, after allegedly receiving payment from Daibes, Sen. Menendez, according to the indictment, performed a web search of the phrase “one kilo gold price.” 

The indictment also includes new information about Sen. Menendez’s and his wife Nadine Menendez’s alleged attempts to “cover up the bribery scheme” after being subpoenaed by a federal grand jury. Prosecutors allege that the Menendez’s attempted to return the “bribe money” to co-defendants Wael Hana and Jose Uribe in December 2022. 

You can read the indictment here or below.