Federal agents have discovered evidence linking gold bars found in the residence of Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez to a violent robbery that took place a decade ago. The gold bars are believed to be part of a large-scale bribery scheme allegedly involving Menendez, the Egyptian government, and local businessmen including real estate developer Fred Daibes.
According to court documents, Menendez and his wife were allegedly involved in a years-long bribery scheme, in which they received gold bars as payment from Daibes and other co-conspirators. The indictment, which was unsealed by federal prosecutors in September, states that investigators found several one-kilogram and one-ounce gold bars at Menendez’s home, all of which had serial numbers that indicated they had been previously owned by Daibes.
The link between the gold bars found at Menendez’s home and the robbery of Daibes’ apartment in November 2013 was discovered by NBC New York. In a 2014 transcript of Daibes’ statement to local investigators, he mentioned that 22 gold bars with unique engraved serial numbers were stolen from his apartment, along with jewelry and cash. Investigators then found that one of the gold bars discovered at Menendez’s home had the same serial number as one of those reported stolen by Daibes.
The federal indictment also notes that the serial numbers on the gold bars found in Menendez’s residence indicate that they were previously owned by Daibes. This further supports the allegation that Daibes and Menendez were involved in a bribery scheme, in which Daibes provided Menendez with gold bars as payment.
In September 2015, Daibes sold 22 gold bars to another defendant in the bribery scheme, Wael Hana. This number matches the number of gold bars that Daibes reported stolen in 2013. It is suspected that Daibes may have used some of these gold bars to pay Menendez.
Since the unsealing of the indictment, Menendez has maintained his innocence and continues to serve in the Senate. In a statement released in September, he asserted that the allegations against him were just that – allegations. He also stressed the importance of the presumption of innocence and the need to let the justice system run its course.
For now, Menendez remains New Jersey’s senior senator. However, as the investigation continues and more evidence surfaces, it remains to be seen how this scandal will ultimately impact his political career. In the meantime, the discovery of the gold bars and their connection to a past robbery only adds to the complexity of this high-profile bribery investigation.
