Arslanian Menendez trail goes to jury

Deliberation start in bribery case

By: Karistie Cattafi
and Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... A jury is now deliberating on the federal bribery and corruption trial of former Senator Bob Menendez's wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez.
..... The trial began with jury selection on March 18 [2025] and stalled with days-long breaks in between testimony including this past week when federal prosecutors and defense attorney met on Tuesday [04/15/2025] afternoon and there was no court held on Wednesday. [04/16/2025]
..... The jury will resume deliberation on April 21 [2025] after deliberating on Friday [04/18/2025] afternoon for almost two hours.
..... The jury began deliberating after almost three weeks of testimony in the trial that had been expected to last through mid-May. [2025]
..... Arslanian Menendez's attorney, Barry Coburn, expressed concern in a letter filed on Friday [04/18/2025] afternoon at U.S. district Court in lower Manhattan. Before the jury began deliberation, Coburn had asked the judge to read the jurors a brief supplemental instruction to ensure no juror feels any coercion. Court documents show that the jurors have appeared upset during the adjournment delays with Coburn noting one juror was heard saying, "You know, we have lives."
..... The additional instructions that Coburn requested included, "No juror should feel any pressure of any kind to reach a verdict before the coming weekend."
..... The federal indictment against Menendez was first unsealed in September 2023 and was updated with superseding indictments three times - in October of that year [2024] and in January and March 2024. It alleged that Menendez, his wife and three New Jersey businessmen, Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe were part of a bribery scheme. Menendez and his wife allegedly received among other things cash, gold bars and a luxury car in exchange for the sue of his political influence.
..... After a nine-week trail, Menendez, Daibes and Hana were found guilty on a combination of 18 counts, including bribery.
..... Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Hana more than eight years and Daibes seven years. Daibes was fined $1.75 million; Hana was fined $1.3 million. all three are appealing their cases.
..... Menendez, Daibes and Hana have all field motions for new trials and are seeking bail as their appeals play out. After making his initial motion, Daibes was assigned to the prison camp at FCI Fairton, South Jersey. Hana was assigned to FCI Schuylkill in Minersville, Pennsylvania.

The trial

..... During closing statements, the prosecution rehashed the hundreds of thousands of dollars stuffed in jackets and shoes and gold bars found in Nadine and Bob Menendez's Englewood Cliffs home.
..... "At this trial you learned where all these valuables came from. You learned that they were bribes that the defendant demanded and collected from Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibies in exchange for promises that the senator, her partner in crime, would take official action," United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Paul Monteleonia said.
..... Monteleoni refereed to Nadine and Bob as "partners in crime" who put his "power up for sale" while Nadine demanded and collected payments.
..... They promised he would take action in exchange for those bribes," Monteleoni said.
..... Those promises included approving military aid to Egypt, providing Egypt with sensitive information about Americans stationed abroad, and helping Egypt in other ways. In included a promise of Menendez putting pressure on a U.S. Department of Agriculture official to stop opposing a monopoly that Egypt was giving to Hana's halal certification company. He promised he would pressure the New Jersey Attorney General to disrupt a criminal investigation and prosecution of associates of Hana and Uribe, and they promised he would try to interfere with Daibe's federal criminal prosecution, Monteleoni outlined in his closing remarks.
..... "You saw a clear pattern of corruption," Monteleoni said.
..... "The senator was the one whose power was up for sale. the defendant was his go-between demanding payment, collecting payment and promising official action by the senator, but always, always, keeping him informed."
..... Nadine's attorney Coburn focused on reminding jury members that they needed to believe there was enough evidence of a quid pro quo or a "this for that," which he didn't believe there was. He also noted that each charge had a number of times to prove guilty and they needed to consider if there was enough evidence for everyone.
..... The prosecution;s star witness, Uribe - one of the three businessmen originally indicted along with Menendez - spend days on the stand through his testimony.
..... With Arslanian Menendez's trail ongoing, Uribe's attorney requested a delay in his sentencing, which was granted.
..... He will now be sentenced on September4. [2025] Uribe initially entered a not guilty plea to seven charges but later changed it to guilty and agreed to cooperation with federal prosecutors. he spent several days last summer [2024] testifying against Menendez and admitted to bribing him.
..... According to a plea agreement, Uribe could face up to 95 years in prison, though he could win leniency because of his cooperation with federal prosecutors and his testimony against the other defendants.
..... Daibes and Hana will report to federal prison on May 19, [2025] after Stein granted each a 45-day extension to allow them to prepare and then testify at the Arslanian Menendez trial.
..... Daibes and Hana never testified.

Breast cancer diagnosis

..... Nadine Menendez was initially supposed to be tried alongside Menendez, Daibles and Hana, but her trail was delayed because she was diagnosed with breast cancer. initially referred to by the court only as a "serious medical condition," the diagnosis was revealed by her husband during his trial.
..... Menedez revealed his wife's illness not log after his trial began.
..... "Nadine is suffering form Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery,' a statement from Menendez said. "We are of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease. She will require follow-up surgery and possibly radiation treatment."
..... Days before jury selection started in Arslanian Menendez's trial, Menendez took to social media with a desperate plea to President Donald trump, saying his wife is being "forced by the government to go to trial tomorrow" despite having breast cancer reconstructive surgery days earlier.
..... "Only the arrogance of the SDNY can be so cruel and inhumane," said the post. "they should let her fully recover!" Menendez also tagged Trump in the post.
..... There had been no public filings with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York noting the surgery or requesting a delay because of it.

The charges

..... The four were charged with 18 counts in the original indictment. Menendez faced the most, with 16, followed by his wife, with a total of 15 counts.
* Count One: conspiracy to commit library.
* Count Two: Conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.
* Count Three: Conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.
* count Four: conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice.
* Count Five: Bribery: Actions to benefit Hana and Egypt.
* Count Seven: Honest services wire fraud: Actions to benefit Hana and Egypt.
* Count eight: Extortion under color of official right: Actions to benefit Hana and Egypt.
* count Nine: Honest services wire fraud: Actions to benefit Uribe and Uribe's associates.
* count10: extortion under color of official right: Action to benefit Uribe and Uribe's associates.
* Count 11: Bribery: Aston to benefit Daibes and Qatar.
* Count 13: Honest services wire fraud: Actions to benefit Daibes and Qatar
* Count 14: Extortion under color of official right: Actions to benefit Daibes and Qatar.
* count 15: Conspiracy for a pubic official to act as a foreign agent.
* Count 17: Consistory to commit obstruction of justice.
* Count 18: Obstruction of justice.

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