OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
1:36 PM – Tuesday, April 22, 2025
After her husband, former New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez, was convicted of similar charges, Nadine Menendez was found guilty by a jury in her federal bribery trial.
The prosecution argued that the husband and wife were “partners in crime,” charging them with accepting a luxury automobile, cash, and gold bars — in return for political favors.
“Nadine Menendez and Senator Menendez were partners in crime,” acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky stated, following the verdict in the corruption/foreign influence scheme. “Over the span of five years, Nadine Menendez agreed to accept and accepted all sorts of bribes — including gold bars, cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and a no-show job — all in exchange for the Senator’s corrupt official acts. Together, Nadine Menendez and the Senator placed their own interests and greed ahead of the interests of the citizens the Senator was elected to serve.”
“Today’s verdict sends the clear message that the power of government officials may not be put up for sale, and that all those who facilitate corruption will be held accountable for their actions,” he added.
The defense had argued that there was no evidence linking Nadine Menendez to the plot that her husband was convicted of carrying out. Before rendering their decision on Monday afternoon, the jury began deliberating on Friday afternoon. In June, as her husband begins serving his 11-year prison sentence, she will receive her own sentencing.
Nadine entered a not guilty plea to 15 charges, including conspiracy to commit extortion under official authority, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit bribery. The maximum penalty for several of the charges is 20 years in prison.
After being found guilty on all 16 counts in his federal corruption trial last year, former Sen. Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison in January. This made him the first sitting member of Congress to be found guilty of working as a foreign agent.
He was found guilty by a jury of taking bribes, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, from three New Jersey businessmen who have also been found guilty. These bribes included gold, cash, a luxury car, payments for Nadine Menendez’s home mortgage, and remuneration for work that she did not show up for.
Nadine Menendez’s safe deposit box held $70,000 in cash, while Congressional jackets with Bob Menendez’s name on them contained the remaining funds, according to the FBI.
Federal prosecutors claimed that shortly after the couple got together in 2018, Nadine Menendez introduced then-Sen. Bob Menendez to Egyptian military and intelligence officials, who purportedly helped create a corrupt arrangement whereby they accepted bribes in exchange for her husband’s actions to benefit Egypt.
Jose Uribe, a businessman from New Jersey who testified for the government and entered a guilty plea last year, was one of the witnesses in the trial.
According to the prosecution, Menendez helped thwart a criminal investigation against Uribe by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office in exchange for Uribe purchasing Menendez’s $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible.
In order to accommodate her breast cancer diagnosis, the judge allowed Nadine Menendez to stand trial separately, even though she was originally scheduled to stand trial with her husband. While she received treatment, her trial was repeatedly postponed. Due to her diagnosis, the trial itself was also put on hold for a few days.
On March 17th, the day before jury selection was set to begin in Nadine Menendez’s trial, the former senator posted on X, alleging that his wife was being “forced by the government to go to trial” despite recently undergoing reconstructive surgery following breast cancer treatment.
“Only the arrogance of the SDNY can be so cruel and inhumane,” Bob Menendez said in the post, tagging President Donald Trump. “They should let her fully recover.”
Bob Menendez described the case as a “political witch hunt” after being sentenced, even though the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, who brought the charges, was led at the time by Damian Williams, a Democrat. As of April, Jay Clayton now serves as the interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He was appointed to this position by President Donald Trump on April 16th, 2025, following the resignation of Williams.
Nonetheless, the former senator expressed hope that Trump “cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system.”
Judge Sidney Stein ruled in the sentencing that Bob Menendez would not be required to report to prison until June 6th — in order to be present at his wife’s trial.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts