Sen. Menendez faces fresh charges in a corruption scheme related to receiving gifts from Qatar

In a yearslong corruption scheme, federal prosecutors say Sen. Bob Menendez accepted race car tickets and other gifts from Qatar, joining Egypt as a foreign country he helped.

According to the superseding indictment, Menendez's bribery and extortion scheme continued into 2023, a year longer than originally charged. The amended indictment, released Tuesday, lists formal charges against a defendant.

In the indictment, Menendez is accused of accepting payments from his co-conspirator, New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes, to help him obtain millions of dollars from a Qatari investment fund. The senator also helped Qatar, prosecutors say.

Last year, Menendez, his wife Nadine, Daibes, and two other New Jersey businessmen were indicted for bribery. The accused have all denied guilt.

In addition to bribery charges, Menendez is accused of acting as a foreign agent for Egypt by helping the country in exchange for one defendant obtaining a Halal export monopoly. Menendez strongly denies wrongdoing.

Menendez's attorney stated Tuesday that “the government does not have the proof to back up any of the old or new allegations” but rather “a string of baseless assumptions and bizarre conjectures based on routine, lawful contacts between a Senator and his constituents or foreign officials.”