A lawyer testifying at Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial revealed that a New Jersey businessman stepped in to save the home of the senator’s wife from foreclosure. This happened around the same time when Menendez allegedly assisted the businessman in establishing a profitable business partnership with Egypt.
In July 2019, attorney John Moldovan informed a jury at a Manhattan federal court that he had been employed by businessman Wael Hana. During his employment, Moldovan was requested to make a payment of over $20,000 towards the mortgage of a home located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
According to Moldovan, Hana provided the funds that he personally delivered to a bank in order to avoid the necessity of a mortgage foreclosure lawsuit.
After marrying a year later, Menendez, aged 70, moved into the home and has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges. Similarly, Hana and Menendez’s wife, Nadine, have also pleaded not guilty in the case. However, Nadine Menendez’s trial has been postponed until July due to her diagnosis of breast cancer and the subsequent need for surgery.
During a recent FBI raid in 2022, an astonishing discovery was made at the senator’s residence. The search yielded an impressive haul of 13 gold bars and a staggering amount of cash, totaling over $480,000. Testifying about the raid, the federal agent in charge shed light on the meticulous findings. Among the intriguing details shared was the discovery of tens of thousands of dollars stashed in four jackets within the senator’s coat closet. Additionally, bags and a secure safe hidden in the closet also contained a substantial amount of cash.
According to prosecutors, the couple’s garage contained bribery proceeds in the form of gold bars, cash, and a luxury car.
According to Menendez’s lawyers, the gold bars were owned by his wife, and the senator kept cash at home as a response to the traumatic experience of his family losing everything, except cash, before they escaped from Cuba – even before he was born.
During the trial, Moldovan stated that Hana had requested him to create a legal document stating that the money intended to pay off the remaining mortgage debt was a loan, not a gift.
Nadine Menendez had a mortgage of $320,750, and she owed almost $271,000, according to Moldovan.
Hana’s company, as prosecutors claim, made the mortgage payment at the same time it was securing a monopoly with Egypt. The purpose of this monopoly was to ensure that any meat exported from the U.S. to Egypt was certified by Hana’s company, guaranteeing that it was processed in a manner that adhered to Islamic dietary requirements.
During his time as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez allegedly engaged in actions that were deemed favorable towards Egypt, with the intention of providing assistance to Hana, a long-time friend of Nadine Menendez. However, he was forced to step down from his position following his arrest.
One of the accusations against the senator is that he acted as a foreign agent for Egypt.
The trial, which started last week, is expected to continue for at least another month.
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