United States: $480,000 seized from senator’s home, which he says was an “emergency”

Prosecuted for acts of corruption, fraud and extortion, US Senator Robert Menendez warranted a visit from the FBI, who found nearly $480,000 in his home.

A good catch for the FBI. Federal police investigators seized nearly $480,000 from the home of Senator Robert Menendez, who is being prosecuted for corruption, fraud and extortion. and reported as American mediaThe New Jersey senator found a somewhat shaky explanation: It would be an “emergency” savings.

The Democratic senator said it was rare to see so much money in one house, but he did not break the law. “For 30 years, I’ve withdrawn thousands of dollars from my personal savings account, which I’ve kept for emergencies and for my family’s precautions in Cuba,” he says.

An FBI raid at his house found three kilos of gold bars and a luxury car.

Questionable connections with Egypt

According to New York federal prosecutor Damian Williams, Robert Menendez accepted “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in bribes from three New Jersey residents between 2018 and 2022, “using his power and influence to protect and enrich these businessmen and to support the Egyptian government.”

Nadine Menendez, the senator’s wife, would have benefited from a more or less fictitious job at the firm of a friend who had arranged several meetings between her husband and Egyptian military officials to promote the sale of US military equipment. to Egypt.

Robert Menendez, 69, has refused to give up his seat in the U.S. Senate despite calls from Republicans to resign. In 2017, he was already facing corruption charges, but without any final conviction.