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Nadine Arslanian Menendez's trial starts

Jury selection first step in much-delayed case

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

..... The federal bribery and corruption trial of former Senator Bob Menendez's wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, stated Tuesday [03/18/2025] after several delays.
..... Arslanian Menendez was indicted and charged alongside her husband and three New Jersey businessmen. Her trial began with jury selection at the Danial Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in lower Manhattan.
..... Menendez and two co-conspirators, Egyptian American businessman Wael Hana and Edgewater developer Fred Daibles, were convicted last summer [2024] and sentenced in January [2025] to prison terms.
..... A third businessman Jose Uribe, cooperates with prosecutors by testifying at their trial last year. [2024] He is scheduled for sentencing in April [2025] after he is expected to testify against Arslanian Menendez.
..... Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison, Hana more than eight years and Daibles seven years. Daibles was fined $1.75 million; Hana was fined $1.3 million. all three are appealing their cases.
..... Daibes and Hana are experted to report to prison on April 4. [2025] Hana has made a motion to delay his prison date because he was subpoenaed for Arslanian Menendez's trial. A decision by the judge has not been made yet.
..... Arslanina Menendez faces the same charges as her husband. She was initially supposed to be tried alongside her co-defendants, even after requested that the trial be severed. They were separated because of Arslanina Menendez's diagnosis of breast cancer.
..... The federal indictment against Menendez was first unsealed in September 2023 and was updated with superseding indictments three times - in October of that year [2023] and in January and March of 2024. It alleged that Menendez, his wife and the three New Jersey businessmen were part of a bribery scheme. Menendez and his wife allegedly received, among other things, cash, gold bars and a luxury care in exchange for the sue of his political influence.

What charges does she face?

..... The four were changed 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 bribery.
* Count Two: Conspiracy to commit honest service 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 an 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
* Count 10: Extortion under color of official right: Action to benefit Uribe and Uribe's associates.
* count 11: Bribery: Actions to benefit Daibes and Qatar.
* Count 13: Honest services wire fraud: Aston to benefit Daibes and Qatar.
* Count 14: Extortion under color of official right: Actions to benefit Daibes and Qatar.
* Count 15: conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent.
* Count 17: Conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice.
* Count 18: Obstructionist of justice.

Delayed due to breast cancer

..... Arslanina Menendez didn't stand trial with her husband and co-conspirators after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The "serious medical condition" was revealed by her husband during his trial. "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 treatments."
..... The trial was delayed numerous times while she underwent treatment.
.... In a desperate plea to President Donald Trump, Menendez posted on social media that his wife is being "forced by the government to go to trial tomorrow" [03/18/2025] despite ahivng breast cancer reconstructive surgery just days ago.
..... "Only the arrogance of the SDNY can be so cruel and inhumane," said the post, published on X. "they should let her fully recover!" Menendez also tagged trump in the post.
..... As of Monday, [03/17/2025] there had been no public filings with the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York noting the surgery or requesting a delay because if it. there have been multiple pretrial conferences this month. [03/2025]

Relationship began in 2018

..... Arslanian Menedez began dating the senator in February 2018 and marred him in October 2020.
..... They walked into federal court in Manhattan hand in hand and pleaded not guilty after they were indicted.
..... During his trial, Menendez's attorney described Nadine as "dazzling" and said they had separate lives even while living together.
..... Arslianian Menendez hid financial challenges from her husband before they met and during their time together. Meneendez's lawyer, Avi Weitzman, said in his opening remarks - less than 24 hours before Menendez announced his wife's medical diagnosis, Weitzman also pointed out that the bono-imfampous gold bars were found in Arslanian Menedez;s locked closet, not Menendez's.
...... "Whenever you see a document that says Nadine or Hana or Daibies, ask yourself, where's Bob?" Weitzman said.
..... Lara Pomerantz, a federal prosecutor trying the case, told jurors that New Jersey's senior senator used his wife as a go-between for the schemes and business dealings that resulted in their receiving cash and gold bars.

Arlanian Menendez's past

..... Before and after Arslanian Menedez began dating the senator, records show, she was a habitual caller to 911 who frequently alerted police that she believed people were following her or breaking into her home. Since 2010, she has called the police at least 17 times, including one stretch that included 1o calls in just a year and a half.
..... In a visit to Englewood Cliffs, police headquarters, she said she had been approached by :acquaintances" at a local restaurant who advised her not to go to court for a subpoena that she had received.
..... Arslanian called the Englewood Cliffs police headquarters in March 2014, to report that she was being followed while driving in Paramus. [NJ] In August of that year, [2014] she told police she was being followed while running errands in Hackensack.
..... She was not the only one to call the police on her behalf.
..... Douglas Anton, identifying himself as her boyfriend, called police headquarters for a welfare check on Arslaninan in April 2018. He said at the time that he had not heard form her in days. Anton is a North Jersey-based criminal attorney, music manager and sports agent.

2018 crash left Richard Koop dead

..... In 2018, Arslanian was driving a Mercedes when she reportedly struck and killed 49-year-old pedestrian Richard Koop as she drove down a Bogota street. It took her five minutes to call police, records show.
..... Rep rots filed by the Bogota Police department and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office indicate that Arslanian's phone records were to be subpoenaed as part of the investigation into the crash that killed Koop.
..... Those subpoenas were never issued, nor were the phone records ever delivered to investigators, NorthJersey.com found after seeking public records pertaining to the crash.
..... Months later, it was Menendez who picked up the car from an impound lot. Uribe later made the payments to buy Arslanina a new car, the indictment said.

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