In a startling revelation, federal agents unearthed several gold bars at the residence of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) as part of an extensive bribery investigation. Multiple gold bars discovered by the agents reportedly have connections to a violent robbery that occurred 10 years ago.
The indictment against Menendez, which was unsealed by federal prosecutors in September, alleges that Senator Menendez and his wife were entangled in a years-long bribery scheme involving the Egyptian government and local businessmen.
Notably, Fred Daibes, a renowned New Jersey real estate developer, was also implicated in the scandal, according to NBC New York. The prosecutors revealed that multiple gold bars, supposedly used as payment in the scheme, were retrieved from Menendez’s home.
A recent investigation by NBC New York revealed that at least four of the gold bars could be linked to Daibes. The connection was established through unique engraved serial numbers on the bars and corroborated by court documents related to a 2013 robbery, in which Daibes was a victim. In 2013, Daibes was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint in his Edgewater, New Jersey, apartment, resulting in the loss of 22 gold bars, jewelry, and cash.
“Each gold bar has its own serial number,” Daibes explained in a 2014 transcript obtained by NBC New York. “They’re all stamped … you’ll never see two stamped the same way.” In a significant development, photographs released by the Department of Justice in September show a gold bar discovered at Menendez’s home bearing the serial number “590005,” which was a number reported by Daibes as one of the stolen gold bars during the 2013 incident.
READ MORE: Democrat senator Menendez charged with bribery
Furthermore, the federal indictment explicitly states that the serial numbers on the gold bars indicate previous possession by Daibes. Additionally, the indictment claims that Daibes sold 22 gold bars to Wael Hana, another defendant allegedly involved in the bribery scheme.
In the aftermath of the 2013 robbery, police apprehended and charged four individuals, who were ultimately sentenced to several months in prison following their guilty pleas in 2015. Meanwhile, Menendez, who continues his tenure in the Senate, has vehemently asserted his innocence since the unsealing of the bribery indictment earlier this year.
“The allegations leveled against me are just that, allegations,” Menendez stated. “For anyone who has known me throughout my 50 years of public service, they know I have always fought for what is right. My advocacy has always been grounded. And what I learned from growing up as the son of Cuban refugees, especially my mom, my hero, Evangelina Menendez.”
Menendez claimed that he “worked for” everything that he has accomplished throughout his political career, regardless of “the nay sayers” and everyone who has underestimated him. He expressed confidence that he will be “exonerated” when the facts are presented in court and that he will continue to serve as a New Jersey senator.
“The court of public opinion is no substitute for our revered justice system,” he added. “We cannot set aside the presumption of innocence for political expediency when the harm is irrevocable.”
This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.
