- Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey has been indicted on bribery charges.
- Federal agents found cash "stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing" in his home.
- This is the second time Menendez has been charged with bribery.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images; US District Court for the Southern District of New York
Federal agents found more than $480,000 in cash hidden in Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez's home, according to the newly-unsealed indictment against the New Jersey senator.
Menendez is facing bribery charges for the second time in six years.
According to the indictment, federal agents executed search warrants on the New Jersey senator's home in June 2022, where they found the "fruits" of the bribery agreement that Menendez and his wife, Nadine, had allegedly made with three New Jersey businessmen.
That included more than $480,000 in cash that was "stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe."
The indictment alleges that the fingerprints of one of the businessmen were found on some of the envelopes, and that some of the envelopes were "found inside jackets" emblazoned with Menendez's name.
US District Court for the Southern District of New York
In a defiant statement on the indictment, Menendez said that he's the victim of a "smear campaign" and that prosecutors have "misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office."
"Those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first-generation Latino American from humble beginnings could rise to be a US senator," said Menendez.
—Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 22, 2023
Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been accused by federal prosecutors of using his position to benefit the Government of Egypt in exchange for bribes.
Specifically, the indictment alleges that "provided sensitive US government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt" in exchange for gifts that included gold bars.
Additionally, Menendez is accused of plotting to give IS EG Halal Certified, a New Jersey company, a monopoly on halal certification on US food exports to Egypt. Nadine Menendez was alleged also offered a "low-or-no-show job" at the company by businessman Wael "Will" Hana, a long-time friend.
Menendez was previously put on trial for totally separate bribery charges back in 2017. The charges were later dropped, and Menendez went on to win re-election in 2018.
He is up for re-election next year.