Businessman Arrested for Coordinating Bribes to New Jersey Senator
Wael Hana, one of the three businessmen federally charged with orchestrating bribes to Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his wife, has been arrested. Hana was taken into custody at JFK Airport in New York after voluntarily returning from Egypt. His attorney, Lawrence Lustberg, expressed confidence in Hana’s innocence and stated that they believe he will be able to prove it in a fair trial.
Hana, a resident of New Jersey who originally hails from Egypt, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
According to prosecutors, Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accepted bribes in exchange for using the senator’s power and influence to benefit Hana and the two other indicted businessmen, as well as Egypt’s government. The bribes allegedly involved cash, gold bars, mortgage payments, and other forms of compensation. During a search of the Menendez’s home in June 2022, federal agents discovered over $480,000 in cash.
Prosecutors claim that Hana and Nadine Menendez worked together to introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials to the senator, with the intention of establishing a corrupt agreement. Hana allegedly hired Nadine Menendez at his halal meat export certification company in exchange for the senator facilitating foreign military sales and financing to Egypt. It is also alleged that Menendez intervened to protect a monopoly for Hana’s company, leading to increased costs for U.S. meat suppliers.
Menendez, who recently stepped down as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee following his indictment, has been urged by nearly two dozen Senate Democrats to resign. However, he has rejected these calls and maintains that he will be exonerated.
The other two businessmen involved in the case, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, who are both from New Jersey, face the same charges as Hana. If convicted, Hana could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the bribery count and 20 years in prison for the fraud count.
Contributors to this news report: Melissa Quinn, Caroline Linton, and Stefan Becket.
Source: CBS News