Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez raked in $274,500 for his legal defense fund through the end of last month — leaning on donations from key New Jersey powerbrokers, a recent filing shows.
Over 30 donations were made to the fund in the third quarter of 2023 — including four totaling $22,000 that came after the veteran Democrat and his wife Nadine were indicted on federal bribery charges on Sept. 22, according to the filing with the Senate Office of Public Records obtained by The Post.
Among the deep-pocketed contributors to the fund were members of the Norcross family, prominent in Garden State Democratic politics, with Donald Norcross currently serving in Congress.
George Norcross, a big figure in South Jersey Democratic politics, previously donated to Menendez’s defense fund in 2015 at the time of the senator’s his prior indictment on federal corruption charges.
He shelled out $10,000 to the new fund on Aug. 3, as did two other members of his family, Alessandra Norcross and Alexandra Norcross.
Other notable people who hit the maximum $10,000 donation included real estate businessmen Michael Barry and David Barry, as well as the International Longshoremen’s Association COPE.
The fund was launched at the beginning of the quarter in July.
By the end of September, it had spent only $55,208, including $50,000 for legal services, of the total cash accrued, the filing shows.
The prior criminal case against Menendez in New Jersey ended with a hung jury in 2017.
Some key individuals who donated to his legal defense fund at the time of his last indictment — such as New Jersey US Attorney Philip Sellinger — notably did not donate this year.
Who's involved in the indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez
The New Jersey Democrat is facing charges of taking gold bars and bribes and stashing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash around his house in return for using his “power and influence” — including his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — to benefit the Egyptian government and two local businessmen.
Sen. Robert Menendez and Nadine Menendez
The New Jersey Democrat was indicted Friday for allegedly accepting a Mercedes Benz C-Class sedan, 13 gold bars and $566,000 in cash, which FBI agents found “stuffed in envelopes” after a June 2022 search of his home.
Senator Menendez’s wife, Nadine, was indicted alongside her husband for taking bribes. The Menendezes also received mortgage payments, a recliner, exercise machines and other items in exchange for shielding co-defendants Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.
Bob Menendez also allegedly attempted to intervene in a criminal case against Daibes by recommending President Biden pick current New Jersey US Attorney Philip Sellinger, who the senator believed would apply a light touch to the cause.
If convicted on all charges, the Democratic senator faces up to 45 years in prison.
Fred Daibes
Menendez and his wife allegedly had a longstanding relationship with New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes, who court papers say bribed the couple with gold bars and cash for a series of favors, including the senator’s help disrupting a federal prosecution into Daibes.
Daibes received probation after pleading guilty last year to entering false loan information.
Jose Uribe
In April 2019, Menendez’s wife Nadine met former insurance agent from Union City, NJ. Jose Uribe “for five minutes.” Nadine ducked into the parking lot of a restaurant where Uribe, 56, handed her $15,000 in cash, court papers allege.
She then used the cash to make a down payment on a Mercedes-Benz C-class convertible – while Uribe asked the senator to tamper with the state attorney general’s prosecution of one of his colleagues for insurance fraud, according to the court docs.
Wael Hana
Menendez allegedly updated unnamed Egyptian officials in real-time about US military aid to the country through Edgewater, NJ., businessman Wael Hana. The businessman sent Menendez’s proposal for foreign military sale to Egypt of tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition for firearms and tanks to an Egyptian official for approval.
In early 2021 Hana allegedly used funds from his halal business to send two exercise machines and an air purifier, among other items, to the Menendez home.
In exchange for these gifts and other alleged bribes, Menendez improperly pressured a US Department of Agriculture official to protect Hana’s “exclusive monopoly”, granted in 2019, on signing off on US food exported to Egypt as compliant with halal standards, despite Hana having no prior experience with halal certification, the feds said.
Among the claims in the new indictment, filed by Manhattan federal prosecutors, is that Menendez allegedly tried to meddle in the criminal prosecution of a New Jersey businessman by pushing President Biden to nominate Sellinger as US Attorney because he apparently believed Sellinger could influence the case.
Sellinger was not accused of any wrongdoing.
Menendez, his wife, and Garden State businessmen Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes pleaded not guilty to the charges on Sept. 27.
Last week, prosecutors hit him and his wife with an additional count for allegedly illegally conspiring to act as a foreign agent of Egypt.
The couple stand accused of accepting $486,461 worth of cash payments and $150,000 in gold bars as well as a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible to help the three businessmen and the government of Egypt.
Menendez, 69, allegedly used his political position to send sensitive information to the Egyptians, lobby for Cairo to get military aid and run interference for investigations revolving around his wealthy buddies, prosecutors said.
The scandal-plagued senator has maintained his innocence. Following the indictment, he stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
His successor, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), recently held up $235 million in aid to Egypt.
Menendez, who has served in the upper chamber since 2006, will not attend a classified briefing on Israel this week amid the accusations against him.
A chorus of Democrats such as Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and others have implored Menendez to step down as senator.
Rep. Andy Kim (D-NY) has been mounting a potential primary challenge. Menendez hasn’t indicated whether he will vie for reelection in 2024, but is trailing in some preliminary polling.
If convicted, Menendez and his wife could each face decades in prison.
A trial date has been set for May 6.
Menendez has tapped first son Hunter Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell, to defend him. Lowell helped defend Menendez in his previous corruption case.
Neither Menendez’s office nor Lowell returned messages from The Post Wednesday.
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