Bob Menendez Bribery Trial to Start May 6 Without Ill Wife

David Voreacos and Ava Benny-Morrison
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- The bribery trial of US Senator Bob Menendez will begin May 6 as scheduled, but his wife’s case will be delayed until at least July because of an undisclosed medical problem that requires surgery.

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US District Judge Sidney Stein separated the complex case into two trials after a lawyer for the New Jersey Democrat urged him to move forward because he has a right to a speedy trial and any delay will damage his reputation. Lawyers for Nadine Menendez, his wife, asked for a delay of two or three months to assess her condition.

“I’m going to stick with the May 6 trial date,” Stein said Thursday in New York federal court. “This trial is going forward without Mrs. Menendez. It’s unfortunate.”

Nadine Menendez will be tried on July 8, ruled the judge, who said that date “may slide” given her medical prognosis. The couple is accused of accepting bribes of cash, gold bars and a car in exchange for political favors for three businessmen. Two of the businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, will be tried with the senator, the judge ruled.

Menendez, 70, has seen his popularity plummet since he was first indicted in September and stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Democrats in the Senate and New Jersey have abandoned him, and US Representative Andy Kim is the frontrunner in the Democratic primary in June for his seat. Menendez has said he may run as an independent in November.

The unproven allegations “could affect his ability to run in the general election,” Menendez attorney Adam Fee said at the hearing.

“Senator Menendez wants his May 6 trial,” Fee said. “This is a sitting U.S. senator that has had to deal with these allegations.”

Previous Trial

Menendez, a senator since 2006, was also tried in New Jersey federal court in 2017 but the case, unrelated to the current allegations, ended in a mistrial and prosecutors later dropped the charges.

In New York, he’s charged with crimes including bribery, fraud, extortion, obstruction and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. His wife has also been charged along with Hana and Daibes. They all pleaded not guilty. A third businessman pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors.

In their request for a delay, lawyers for Nadine Menendez said she’ll need surgery in the next four to six weeks, as well as “possibly significant follow-up and recovery treatment.” She asked for a hearing in eight weeks to provide an update on her condition.

Prosecutors said in a filing they weren’t opposed to the request for a delay. But they asked for the couple to be tried together rather than separately, which would mean picking a second jury after a verdict, calling dozens of witnesses again and presenting hundreds of exhibits.

Lawyers for Nadine Menendez have also said they’ll withdraw from the case because of a conflict of interest. Stein said she must hire new lawyers within 30 days.

The case is US v. Menendez, 23-cr-490, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

(Updates with details of hearing)

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