Cash is stuffed inside the boot. An envelope of banknotes was tucked inside the jacket, which had the senator’s name printed on it. gold bars.
Prosecutors in the Sen. Bob Menendez bribery case made the releases Friday. 100 photos Some of the cash and gold seized from the New Jersey Democrat’s home has been revealed, providing a clearer picture of the evidence shaping his high-profile bribery trial.
Menendez is accused of accepting “several hundred thousand dollars” in bribes in exchange for official government acts.
The FBI said more than $486,000 in cash was found at the home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, which the suspect shares with his wife, Nadine Menendez. She will stand trial separately. Both have maintained their innocence.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York entered the photo as part of a trial exhibit. Menendez’s home is in New Jersey, but the SDNY is prosecuting the case because some of the senator’s alleged misconduct had ties to New York.
Dozens of photos show wads of banknotes stuffed inside bags, shoes and jackets. One photo shows bundles of bills prosecutors say total $4,300 found inside a Hispanic Caucus jacket with the senator’s name embroidered in yellow.
Another photo showed a wad of $100 bills found in an envelope on another jacket with “Senator Menendez” embroidered on it.
Prosecutors questioned FBI agents about cash found in the senator’s clothing during testimony Friday.
“What was the name on the jacket?” the prosecutor asked the deputy.
“Robert Menendez and Senator Menendez,” the agent answered.
“Did you see the name Nadine on the jacket where you found the cash?” the prosecutor asked.
“No,” the agent confirmed.
Thousands of dollars in cash was also found stuffed inside the shoe. An envelope containing $7,500 was found in his right brown boot, according to a spreadsheet detailing evidence from prosecutors. Documents say the left brown boot contained an envelope containing $7,000.
Other photos in the exhibit included stacks of cash in disposable Forever 21 and Arc’teryx bags. Some of the bundles were covered with rubber bands, and others had labels reading “$10,000.”
Prosecutors also attached several photos of gold bars that they say were part of the bribe. According to prosecutors, 13 gold bars were recovered at the senator’s home. Two of his bars weighed one kilogram each, and the other bars weighed one ounce each.
Menendez’s lawyer, Abi Weitzman, said in court Wednesday that the senator did not know his wife had gold and argued jurors shouldn’t base their decisions on who lives with them. .
Nadine Menendez had kept the gold in a closet, but the senator’s lawyer said she didn’t have the key. She also did not know how she obtained some of the money, the lawyer said.
The senator defended the cash found in his home, claiming he had withdrawn his personal cash last year. For emergencies.
“For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, but kept it for emergencies when my family was in danger of confiscation in Cuba,” he said last year. Told.
