NJ businessman accused of bribing Sen. Bob Menendez claims they’re not friends, pleads not guilty
An Egyptian-American businessman charged with bribing New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez with gold bars tried to distance himself from the alleged crooked pol Tuesday by claiming, through his lawyer, that they weren’t friends.
Wael Hana, 40 – formerly of Edgewater, NJ – pleaded not guilty during a hearing in Manhattan federal court over allegations he bribed the veteran Democrat with at least two one-ounce gold bars, exercise machines, an air purifier and three payments of $10,000 to his wife Nadine Menendez, who is also charged in the scheme.
Outside court after the hearing, Hana’s lawyer Lawrence Lustberg said his client didn’t consider himself pals with the longtime Garden State senator, but admitted he had known Nadine for “many, many years.”
“He pleaded not guilty because he’s not guilty,” Lustberg said.
The lawyer said Hana left his wife and three kids behind in Egypt to show up for the case.
Magistrate Judge Ona Wang allowed Hana to walk free on a $5 million personal bond secured by $300,000 cash and shares of company Capitol Management LLC. It was unclear what Hana’s relationship was to the company.
Hana cannot travel outside of New Jersey and parts of New York.
He was charged in a sweeping indictment Friday with having a corrupt agreement with Menendez, in which the since-resigned chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would allegedly dole out political favors for the Egyptian government and for Hana in exchange for the bribes.
The Menendezes and two other alleged crooked businessmen also charged in the scheme are due to make their first court appearances in the case on Wednesday.
Menendez, 69, allegedly ensured that the Egypt received “substantial military aid” from the US and provided their government officials with non-public information about the number and nationality of people working the US Embassy in Cairo, prosecutors claimed.
Hana’s company, IS EG Halal, was also given a monopoly on halal certifications on American food going to Egypt, despite no prior experience in such certifications. When American officials pushed back on the monopoly, Menendez went to bat for Hana, prosecutors alleged.
In return, Hana allegedly paid Nadine $30,000 that she used to get her mortgage out of arrears and he gave the couple exercise equipment and an air purifier worth thousands of dollars, the feds claimed.
Menendez also allegedly received a Mercedes-Benz convertible in a separate alleged bribery scheme with New Jersey businessman Jose Uribe, 56, in exchange for helping Uribe’s associate and employee with criminal cases, prosecutors claimed.
The senator is also accused of pocketing two one-kilogram gold bars from New Jersey businessman Fred Daibes, 66, in exchange for helping him in a criminal case, the feds claimed.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars found stashed in Menendez’s home stuffed in envelopes including inside his jackets with his name on them are alleged to be ill-gotten gains.
But the politician said Monday that he’d been withdrawing lawfully earned money from his bank accounts for years, a habit he picked up from his Cuban immigrant father.
He has maintained his innocence and has said he won’t resign from his seat, which he’s held since 2006.
