Nadine Menendez Found Guilty in Bribery Scheme Alongside Husband Bob Menendez

Nadine Menendez, spouse of former New Jersey senator Bob Menendez, was declared guilty of participating in a long-standing bribery operation on Monday, alongside her husband and two other co-defendants. Following two days of deliberation, a jury consisting of 12 New Yorkers found her culpable on all 15 charges against her, which included serious offenses such as bribery, obstruction of justice, wire fraud, and conspiring to have her husband serve as a foreign agent.

The prosecution asserted that Nadine, 58, leveraged her husband's political stature to obtain valuable items such as cash, jewelry, gold bars, and a luxury Mercedes-Benz convertible from three businessmen in New Jersey. Her role was described as pivotal, as she facilitated communications between her husband and the businessmen involved. Many of the allegations she faced carry potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

The defense team for Menendez shifted much of the blame for the bribery accusations onto her. Bob Menendez, similarly convicted on all charges related to accepting bribes from these businessmen, utilized his wife as a scapegoat during his trial, alleging that she managed the bribe collections without his knowledge. Following her conviction, the senator has taken to social media to argue for compassion toward his wife, highlighting her recent breast cancer surgery and advocating for a cessation of the trial against her.

Nadine was indicted along with her husband in 2023, originally scheduled to be tried together, but their cases were separated when she disclosed needing medical treatment. Judge Sidney Stein from the Southern District of New York has set the date for Nadine's sentencing for June 12, coinciding with the month when her husband is expected to begin serving an 11-year prison sentence.