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Federal prosecutors made new allegations Tuesday that Sen. Bob Menendez accepted gifts from a real estate developer and a Qatari investment company in connection with official activities benefiting the Qatari government.
In a second superseding indictment in the case, prosecutors say the New Jersey Democrat tried to persuade an investment firm affiliated with Qatar to funnel millions of dollars into the developer’s project. He said he did.
The new charges are not in addition to the four charges Menendez already faces. But the details in the updated indictment it supersedes extend the period of bribery and extortion conspiracy to 2023 and provide additional details, prosecutors wrote in a separate filing in the case. Ta.
Menendez temporarily resigned as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee after the original indictment was unsealed in September, as required by Senate rules, but he has resisted calls for his resignation, criticized prosecutors and maintained his innocence.
Prosecutors said Menendez received cash and gold bars for his role in inducing an investment firm with ties to the Qatari government to invest in New Jersey real estate developer Fred Dives.
According to the indictment, while the investment firm was considering whether to invest in the Dives project, the senator, who held the top position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made several public appearances supporting the Qatari government. made a statement. According to the indictment, Mr. Menendez also provided the statement to Mr. Deibes so that he could share it with Qatari officials and investors before he released it.
The new details add to the corruption allegations Menendez already faces, ranging from the rural state to Qatar to Egypt.
Prosecutors allege that Menendez used his influence to try to secure the appointment of a New Jersey district attorney that he believed he could manipulate to derail a criminal prosecution of Duives. While Dybez was indicted in 2021, Menendez introduced him to an investor who was a member of the Qatari royal family and the president of an investment company who was looking to invest millions of dollars in the Dybez project. says the indictment.
In September 2021, the senator and Mr. Duybes attended a private event in New York City hosted by the Qatari government, and days later, Mr. Duybez texted Mr. Menendez a photo of a luxury watch worth up to $23,900. , asked, “How about this?” The indictment states: Days later, Mr. Duives sent senators a link to a website tracking Senate resolutions supporting Qatar, and the resolutions were referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Mr. Menendez served, the indictment says. states.
The resolution, introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C.) on September 28, 2021, expressed gratitude for the government of Qatar’s assistance in the evacuation of Americans and U.S. allies from Afghanistan. The committee reported it by voice vote the following May, and the Senate adopted it the same month.
According to the indictment, after a May 2022 meeting between Mr. Menendez and Mr. Duybes, a Qatari investor, and Qatari officials, an investment company with ties to the Qatari government entered into a joint venture with a company controlled by Mr. Dayybez. He has reportedly signed a letter of intent to do so. Prosecutors said Duives gave the senator at least one gold bar after the incident.
The indictment alleges that a Qatari investment firm entered into a joint venture with a company controlled by Daybes in 2023 and funneled tens of millions of dollars into real estate projects.
Menendez faces four charges: conspiracy to act as a foreign agent by a public official, conspiracy to commit extortion, and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and bribery. Menendez is also suspected of acting on behalf of the Egyptian government.
Menendez has faced calls for his resignation from a number of lawmakers, including those in his own party, but has said he will not resign and has criticized the charges against him.
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