Menendez charged with acting as an agent of Egypt

New indictment covers 2018 to 2022 time period

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

..... Senator Bob Menendez is facing a new indictment in federal court for allegedly acting as a foreign agent to benefit Egypt.
..... The superseding indictment, filed Thursday, [10/12/2023] alleges that New Jersey's senior businessman Wael Hana conspired for Menendez to act as a foreign agent from January 2018 through at least June 2022 for the Egyptian government and Egyptian officials.
..... Menendez - along with his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, and Hana, Edgewater developer Fred Daibes and businessman Jose Uribe - already face corruption charges, brought by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern Distinct of New York, for allegedly accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes form 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 combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed together" to have the senator "act as an agent of a foreign principal, to with, the Government of Egypt and Egyptian officials, required to register under PFDRA," the Foreign Agent Registration act.
..... That statue requires people that agree to act or are acting as "an agent of a foreign principal" to register with the U.S. Attorney General if they engage in certain conduct "such as political activities, political consulting, public relations or publicly activities for or in the interest of the foreign principal."
..... This is meant to prevent convert 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 requited to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act."
..... Menendez was allegedly adamant in May 2020 that a former member of congress be investigated by the federal Department of Justice for failing to register as a foreign agent. In a letter to the department he said that "The Act is clear that acting directly, or indirectly in any capacity on behalf of a foreign principal triggers the requirement to register under FARA."
..... He allegedly sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney General reiterating the request for an investigation because, he said, if this former member :carried out work that requires registration under FARA, it is imperative that the Justice Department ensure he is held to account."
..... As part of the original indictment, Menendez, his wife, and the three businessmen face allegation that between 2018 and 2022, Menendez, who until recently served as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relation Committee, and his wife "engaged in a corrupt relationship with Hana, Uribe, and Daibes" to the tune of hundreds 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."
..... At a conference in federal court in lower Manhattan, Judge Sidney Stein scheduled the trial to state on May 6 [2023] for Menendez as well as his wife, Hana, Daibes and Uribe. all of the defendants have entered not guilty pleas.

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