Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) then-soon-to-be wife, Nadine Arslanian, reportedly hit and killed a man with her car in 2018 while driving in New Jersey — an event that would later lead to her acquisition of a 2019 Mercedes-Benz that prosecutors allege in a federal indictment was part of a bribery scheme.
The New York Times reported that the incident, which happened on a cold night in December 2018 while Nadine Menendez was driving through a poorly lit area, resulted in the near instant death of 49-year-old Richard Koop — who had just returned home by Uber after spending the evening out drinking at bars.
The revelation that a car accident led to Nadine Menendez seeking out a new vehicle was contained in the indictment as she allegedly reached out to one of the businessmen who was indicted about her need for a new car.
Senator Menendez came to an agreement with the businessmen, agreeing to “intervene with [a federal prosecutor] to influence the prosecution of the New Jersey Defendant in exchange for a car,” the indictment said.
The report said that there have been suspicions about whether Nadine Menendez was treated favorably by law enforcement, noting that by the time a special unit arrived on scene, local police already determined “that no criminality was suspected to be involved,” according to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office.
However, there was no indication that any of the police officers knew that Nadine Menendez was with the senator, based on footage reviewed by the Times.
Nadine Menendez claimed that Koop was “in the middle of the street” and “he jumped on my windshield.” She was never drug tested and local officials later said that she was not at fault.
The indictment against Menendez and his wife was unsealed last month and accused the senator and his wife of accepting bribes from the three businessmen in exchange for actions that he took as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to the DOJ, the bribes were intended to protect the businessmen and to benefit Egypt. Menendez faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted of the charges, which include conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.
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“Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,” the indictment said. Federal authorities reportedly found gold bars and nearly $500,000 in cash stuffed throughout the senator’s home that they traced back to the businessmen Menendez allegedly worked with.
