Menendez's co-defendants plead not guilty

Judge denies request to remove tracking device

By: Katie Sobko
and Mike Kelly
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... For the second time, Senator Bob Menendez's four appeared in a federal courtroom in New York to enter not guilty pleas for an alleged bribery scheme that prosecutors say benefited not only the senator and his wife but the Egyptian government as well.
..... Menendez's wife, Nadine Arislanian Menendez, Wael Hana, Edgewater developer Fred Daibes and businessman Jose Uribe each pleaded not guilty.
..... Through his attorney, Hana asked for his GPS tacker to be removed, claiming that it buzzed and kept him up at night.
..... Prosecutors were opposed to that, even though Lawrence Lustberg, Hana's attorney, assured the court that his client "remains resolute about staying here' and that he's going nowhere."
..... Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel rRchenthal, a member of the federal team of prosecutors who are brining the case, Egyptian government and Egyptian intelligence officials" and that he might have their assistance if he tried to leave the country.
..... Richenthal also said Hana has an "excess of $25 million in assets in Egypt and Uruguay" as well as "millions of dollars at his disposal."
..... U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein denied the request, nothing that he's had "scores" of defendants required to wear trackers and that "no one complained."
..... Stein also noted that although Hana is planning to stay here now, "Wat about a change of heart?"
..... The arraignment also included a 45-minute discussion during which Stein asked Hana repeatedly if he wanted new representation.
..... Stein noted that Lusberg could be called as a witness, because he serves as Daibes' attorney in a different federal case based in New Jersey.
..... Hana said he was satisfied with Lustberg even after Stein reiterated that he would not be able to appeal on the grounds that Lustberg was conflicted at the end of the trial.
..... A superseding indictment filed last week [10/12/2023] by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York says New Jersey's senior senator, his wife and Hana allegedly conspired for the senator to act as a foreign agent from January 2018 through at least June 2022 for the Egyptian government and Egyptian officials, even as he sat as chairman of the SE ante Foreign R Elations Committee.
..... The group - along with Daibes and Uribe - already face charges for allegiedly participating in a birbery scheme that saw Menedez and his wife accepting hindrds of thousands of dolalrs in bribes from the businessmen in exchange for helping them enrich themselves and trying to get them out of trouble.
..... According to the new 44-page indictment, Menendez, his wife and Hana "willfully and knowingly;y combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed together" to have the senator "act as an agent of a foreign principal, to wit, the government of Egypt and Egyptian officials, required to register under FARA," the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
..... This is meant to prevent covert influence by other countries. It is illegal for a member of Congress to act as an agent of a foreign principal.
..... The indictment cites the Senate Ethics Manual, which states that"regardless of compensation, a public official may not act as an agent or attorney for a foreign principal required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act."
..... As part of the original indictment, filed last month, [09/2023] Menendez, his wife and the three businessmen face allegations that between 2018 and 2022m Menendez and his wife :engaged in a corrupt relationship with Hana, Uribe and Daibes" to the tune of husbander of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for Menendez using his "power and influence to protect, to enrich those businessmen and to benefit the government of Egypt.

Trail to begin in May

..... Menendez stepped down as the Foreign Relation Committee chair after that indictment was filed. Governor Phil Murphy, Senator Cory Booker and other follow Democrats in Congress have called on Menendez to resign as senator. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman called on his colleagues to expel Menendez after news of the new indictment broke last Thursday. [10/12/2023]
..... At a conference held earlier this month, [10/2023] Stein scheduled the trial to state on May 6. 2024]

..... Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

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