Bob Menendez’s legal professionals introduced his circle of relatives alongside to protect him

Menendez, the previous chairman of the Senate Overseas Members of the family Committee who’s accused of performing as a international agent for Egypt, declined to testify in his personal protection on Wednesday. The general arguments within the case are anticipated to start on Monday.

5 other people – his sister, sister-in-law, a outstanding New Jersey lawyer and two forensic accountants – testified on his behalf. One accountant informed the jury that Menendez withdrew money from the credit score union account in installments of about $400 on greater than 300 events right through a 14-year length.

“My father all the time mentioned do not believe me “Money saved in banks,” the deputies’ sister, Caridad Gonzalez, informed jurors because the protection’s opening witness. She recalled that her father, mom and aunt have been within the dependancy of storing money in the home because the circle of relatives fled persecution in Cuba in 1951, ahead of Menendez used to be born in New York.

Gonzalez testified that it had transform a part of a circle of relatives custom and that Menendez have been holding money at house since a minimum of the Eighties. Federal prosecutors mentioned the FBI seized greater than $486,000 in bribes from his house in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., right through a court-authorized seek in June 2022.

“He doesn’t take money for anything else,” Gonzalez mentioned in an irritable second right through cross-examination, denying that his “little brother” would settle for Taking bribes from businessmen with ties to Egypt and Qatar. His motivation for containing public place of business? “He does it as a result of that is his process; he serves the folks,” he mentioned.

Federal prosecutors in Ny wrapped up their case Friday after seven weeks. They offered emails, pictures, textual content messages, voicemails, financial institution information and different proof linking each Menendez and his spouse, the previous Nadine Arslanian, to businessmen who had been in the hunt for the lawmaker’s assist in putting offers with officers in Egypt and Qatar or in quashing a couple of felony investigations of Menendez being carried out via government in New Jersey.

Menendez is charged with bribery, extortion, twine fraud, obstruction of justice and performing as a international agent for Egypt. If convicted on all counts, he may spend the remainder of his lifestyles in jail. He and two New Jersey businessmen on trial with him, Fred Debs and Vael “Will” Hanna, have pleaded no longer accountable. Nadine Menendez has additionally pleaded no longer accountable and might be attempted at a later date.

On Wednesday, the senator informed U.S. District Pass judgement on Sidney H. Stein that he had made up our minds to not testify after “discussing it at period” together with his legal professionals. He elaborated in brief outdoor the courthouse later within the afternoon.

“From my standpoint, the federal government has did not end up each facet of its case,” Menendez informed journalists.

Her legal professionals argue that she broke up with Arslanian someday in 2018 after he found out she used to be nonetheless seeing her ex-boyfriend. They are saying the couple could not have performed the bribery scheme right through that pause of their romance.

However prosecutors argue the 2 labored arduous from early 2018 till 2022, assembly with Egyptian intelligence officers and helping them with coverage priorities in Congress, whilst they anticipated Hana to later pay the invoice with bribes.

Protection lawyer Avi Weitzman described the ex-boyfriend as ever-present and controlling in Arslanian’s lifestyles, even after the senator got here into the image. A witness testified that Arslanian bought a short lived restraining order towards him in Would possibly 2018, a couple of months after she started relationship Menendez.

“I’m involved in your protection and well-being,” Menendez wrote to her in a textual content message in 2018. “On the other hand, my sadness does no longer exchange my love for you. You’re the love of my lifestyles and optimistically we will be able to reside the remainder of our lives in peace and happiness.”

At one level, the pass judgement on complained that the protection used to be turning the trial right into a “dangerous cleaning soap opera.” The ex-boyfriend, lawyer Doug Anton, has mentioned the allegations made towards him via Nadine Menendez are false.

Nadine Menendez’s more youthful sister, Katia Tabourian, testified Monday that it used to be no longer unusual in her circle of relatives – which has roots in Armenia, Cyprus and Lebanon – to provide gold, jewellery and money as presents. Tabourian mentioned Nadine Menendez inherited her grandmother’s gold bars and that her father additionally gave her gold.

The Menendezes married within the fall of 2020. Prosecutors allege that once the FBI searched Nadine’s bed room closet, money and gold bars discovered with Debs and Hanna had been discovered.

All over cross-examination via prosecutors, Gonzalez and Taborian mentioned they had been on the subject of Menendez and didn’t wish to see him in hassle. The senator’s daughter, MSNBC anchor Alicia Menendez, sat within the entrance row of the court docket gallery right through Gonzalez’s testimony. Later on, the 2 girls hugged and left the court docket, with a smiling Menendez following them.

The listening to is being adjourned at the instance of Independence Day and can resume on Monday.