Nadine Menendez accused of 'dirty work'
Defense says she knew nothing of schemes
By: Dana DeFilippo
New Jersey Monitor
..... At former Senator Bob Menendez's corruption trial last year, [2024] his defense team cast him as an unwitting pawn in a global bribery scheme orchestrated by his wife, Nadine Menendez, that netted the couple nearly $1 million in gold bars, cash and other valuables
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Her defense attorney, Barry Coburn, took a similar approach Monday [03/24/2025] as Nadine Menendez's corruption trial kicked off at the federal courthouse in Manhattan, telling jurors during a 10-minute opening statement that the former senator's wife, a 58-year-old Lebanon naivete, had no knowledge of or intent to commit the crimes of which she;s accused.
..... "We heard a lot of nefarious characterization," Coburn said after prosecutor Lara Pomerantz gave her opening statement. "You'll find the characterization is grossly inaccurate with respect to Nadine Menendez."
..... To convict her, Coburn added, jurors must find overwhelming evidence of every element of every court. She's charged with conspiracy, bribery, extortion and obstruction of justice.
..... "Knowlege and intnt - those are the two most important words in this case for us," he added. "There will be an absolute utter failure of proof in this case with respect to knowledge and intent, with respect to every element, and with respect to every court in this case."
..... The trail, which has been repeatedly postponed as Nadine Menendez battled breast cancer, is expected to last nine weeks, That's about how long Bob Menendez's trial lasted; a separate jury convicted him in July [2024] of all counts.
..... Pomerantz started her nearly hour-long opening statement Monday [03/24/2025] by recounting a rendezvous Nadine Menendez had in a restaurant parking lot with insurance broker Jose Uribe.
..... They met not to dine, but rather so Uribe could give Nadine Menendez $15,000, which she sued as a down payment for a new $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible in exchange for Bob Menedez's interference in a state criminal case that threatened two of his friends, Pomeratz told jurors. Uribe, who pleaded guilty in a cooperation deal, testified against the former senator and is expected to testify in this trial too.
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"That case was a bribe," Pomerantz said. :For years, the defendant and the senator put his power up for sale. They corrupted his office and betrayed the trust placed in him. They did that to feed their greed."
..... Nadine Menendez. whom the former senator began dating in 2018 and married in 2020, acted as the go-between, both to slate him form trouble and "make suer everyone in the bribery scheme was getting what they wanted," Pomerantz added.
..... "They were partners in crime, partners in corruption, and partners in greed," she said. "She did the dirty work."
..... Judge Sidney H. Stein wared jurors Monday [03/24/2025] that "being unaware of the law is not a defense."
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Bob and Nadine Menendez are accused of taking more than a dozen gold bars, almost $500,000 in cash, the luxury car, exercise equipment, mortgage payments, and a $10,000-a-month, nohow "consulting" job for Nadine Menendez.
..... In exchange, the former senator used his power to try to derail a federal bank fraud prosecution of Fred Daibes, his longtime friend and an Edgewater real estate developer; help Wael Hana, a longtime friend of Nadine Menendez's maintain a lucrative monopoly on halal meat exports to Egypt; and benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar, where each man had business interests. Daibes and Hana were also found guilty last year. [2024]
..... In January, [2025] Stein sentenced Bob Menendez to 11 years in prison on more than a dozen crimes, including acting as a foreign agent. he has appealed his conviction, called his prosecution "a political witch hunt," and prodded President Donald Trump for a pardon. He isn't scheduled to report to prison until June 6. [2205]
..... Editors note: This story was originally published by the New Jersey Monitor, for which Dana DeFilippo is a staff writer. The New Jersey Monitor is part of States Newsroom, the national largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.