US Senator Bob Menendez, wife, indicted for taking 'hundreds of thousands of dollars' in bribes

US Senator Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian, are facing federal bribery charges, with an indictment set to be unsealed by the US attorney's office in the Southern District of New York, CNN reported Friday.

The charges allege a "corrupt relationship" between the couple and three New Jersey businessmen: Wael "Will" Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibe.

The indictment, initially reported by Politico, claims that Menendez accepted "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in bribes. 

In exchange, Senator Menendez is accused of leveraging his position and influence as a senator to benefit the businessmen and further the interests of Egypt.

The bribes reportedly took various forms, including cash, gold, mortgage payments, compensation for a job with little to no actual work, a luxury vehicle, and other valuable assets, as outlined in the indictment.

Notably, Senator Menendez had previously faced federal corruption charges in 2015, although those charges were dropped in 2018 when a jury failed to reach a verdict. 

At the time, he had recused himself from his role as chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

In May, Senator Menendez had vehemently denied any wrongdoing, expressing confidence that the allegations would lead to nothing substantial. 

However, with the indictment now being unsealed, the legal process will move forward, and Senator Menendez and his wife will face federal bribery charges once again.