New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez has found himself in even more trouble following his indictment earlier this fall. When federal agents raided his home, they found $480,000 in cash and 13 gold bars, with the value of the gold bars totaling over $100,000. Now, it has been revealed that four of these gold bars appear to have been stolen from New Jersey real-estate investor Fred Daibes, who was robbed at gunpoint in 2013. Police found that the serial numbers on four of the gold bars found in Menendez’s home match those of the ones stolen from Daibes.
In addition, Daibes has been accused of bribing Menendez to help appoint a U.S. attorney who would show leniency to Daibes on an unrelated bank-fraud charge. Records also show that one of the bars found in Menendez’s home was returned to Daibes in 2013. Menendez, however, has denied taking bribes from Daibes, even as prosecutors allege that Daibes’s fingerprints are on the cash in the senator’s home.
This new revelation only worsens Menendez’s already precarious situation, as he was initially charged with corruption for allegedly accepting expensive gifts in exchange for contracts and favors. He had justified keeping such large sums of cash and gold bars in his home “for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba.”
The senator’s indictments have raised further concerns about his financial disclosures, which largely ignored the cash and gold bars in his possession. The ongoing legal issues are sure to have a significant impact on his position as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez may find it increasingly difficult to maintain his integrity and serve effectively as a senator amidst these mounting allegations.
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