Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, is facing new allegations in a federal corruption case. The superseding indictment released accuses Menendez of making positive comments about Qatar in exchange for valuable gifts. He is specifically accused of accepting race car tickets and other gifts from Qatar as part of this corruption scheme.
The indictment details that the Qatari gifts were part of a larger scheme involving Menendez receiving almost $500,000 in cash, 13 gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible from various sources. Further, it alleges that Menendez’s corruption activities extended into 2023, a year longer than initially claimed.
Menendez is said to have taken payments from his accomplice, Fred Daibes, a New Jersey real estate developer, in exchange for using his connections to assist Daibes in obtaining millions of dollars from a Qatar-related investment fund. This assistance to Qatar was reportedly part of a bribery scheme for which Menendez, his wife Nadine Menendez, Daibes, and two other unnamed New Jersey businessmen were charged last year. All parties have entered non-guilty pleas to these charges.
Additionally, Menendez is accused of acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government, assisting Egypt in exchange for a monopoly on the halal export industry for one of the defendants. According to the indictment, Menendez facilitated connections between Daibes and both a principal of the Qatari Investment Company and a member of the Qatari royal family, while expressing his support for the Qatari government in public statements. These statements were allegedly shared with Qatari investors and government officials associated with the Qatari Investment Company.
In specific instances, Menendez reportedly sent a press release praising the Qatari government, recommended a Senate resolution supporting Qatar, and facilitated meetings between Daibes and Qatari investors. The indictment also mentions that Menendez received gifts such as expensive watches, valued up to $23,990, and race car tickets, including four tickets to the Formula One Grand Prix, from Qatar officials. Following these events, the Qatari Investment Company invested tens of millions of dollars in Daibes’ company.
Menendez is also accused of failing to disclose the gifts, gold bars, and race tickets he received from Qatar and Daibes on his financial disclosure forms.