All eyes on gold bars in early days of Menendez trial

week one of us Senator Bob menendez's Federal corruption trial wrapped today with stunning testimony from a second witness in the government's case a USDA employee who works as an agricultural attache to Egypt who testified about a halal meat export Monopoly prosecutors alleg Menendez helped arrange in exchange for lucrative bribes from one of his codefendants will Hannah on the stand the atache Brett Tate said in 2019 the US had forced certified exporters to Egypt when he was abruptly informed Egypt wanted a single company to handle the business and named Hannah as the operator that came as a surprise according to Tate because Hannah had no experience in the field and even asked him during a meeting how certification worked Tate went on to say the cost of certifying a container of halal meat soared after Hannah's company gained the Monopoly from between $2 to $400 a container to $5,000 for the same service Hannah's defense attorneys today argued the decision was Egypt's to make because they found the US companies were doing a poor job it's just the beginning of what's expected to be an explosive 7-week trial senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan has the highlights jurors and Senator Bob menendez's bribery and Corruption trial got to hold gleaming gold feel the weight of 1 kilo bars the FBI seized from a master bedroom closet during a search of the Englewood Cliff's home he shares with his wife naen the prosecution's first witness an FBI special agent showed the jury a duffel bag stuffed with a $100,000 in cash taken from the Senator's home office juror saw wads of $100 bills hidden in the Senator's jackets and Boots grand total $846,000 13 bars of gold they started off by getting some of the most impactful evidence admitted literally a gold at the end of the rainbow like something that the jurors can touch and feel and see and understand readily former Federal prosecutor Chris gich only thinks the government scored big points with flashy evidence to corroborate their strong opening statement this was not Politics as Usual this was politics for profit assistant us attorney Lara pomerance told jurors noting that for years Robert Menendez abused his position to feed his own greed and to keep his wife happy that Menendez put his power up for sale they I got some splaining to do on the gold bars right former prosecutor Brian Whistler says the Menendez defense team blamed his wife naen saying she fell behind on her mortgage and had crashed her car she kept him in the dark on what she was asking others to give her attorney Avi whitesman told jurors she tried to get cash and assets any which way she could as the evidence will show she asked family she asked friends including their codefendants I just think that's a challenging and I'm not saying it's not going to Prevail it might because it it's all going to be dependent on the evidence that fleshes out now remember I mean the prosecution hat is loaded for bear the defense is trying to poke some holes arguing Bob Menendez didn't have access to that closet full of gold naen Menendez will be tried separately due to a medical issue that her husband yesterday announced is grade three breast cancer that will require a myectomy jurors are supposed to avoid news about the trial but you know I think there's a decent chance that that information will filter in to one or more of the jurors uh spaces Whistler said the blame the spouse defense isn't new but that the defense must prove naen blindsided a US senator who cut his political teeth in Hudson County and beat his first corruption trial with a hung jury today the prosecution started connecting the dots detailing the Senator's decisions on US foreign policy involving EGP Egypt they called to the stand Brett Tate agricultural atach to Egypt who confirmed connections between the country Menendez and codefendant W Hana who acquired a lucrative Monopoly on certifying us Halal beef sales to Egypt it seems very coincidental that the family is being personally enriched to the tune of these gold bars and cash and luxury vehicles and otherwise um and at the same time these co-conspirators are are there's official action that's taken on the by the senator Menendez that directly benefits them and their constituents lawyers for COD defend Dan while Hana and Fred Davies both New Jersey businessmen who've known naen Menendez for years told jurors yes their clients did give her cash and gold but none of the things found in naen menendez's home can be connected to any official acts of the senator and that is fatal to the government's case said D's attorney Cesar decastro this case is really about friendships it's about giftgiving not bribes Bob menendez's defense claims he was simply doing his job the trial continues on Monday I'm Brenda Flanigan NJ Spotlight news [Music]

Channel: NJ Spotlight News

Views: 6,971

Keywords: Bob Menendez, Chris Gramiccioni, Lara Pomerantz, Menendez corruption trial, Menendez trial, Nadine Menendez, bob menendez trial, hudson county art supply

Id: 895lbMUxwpE

Length: 5min 22sec (322 seconds)

Published: Fri May 17 2024