{"id":2281580,"date":"2024-06-22T06:06:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-22T10:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gold-bars-and-internet-searches-take-center-stage-at-bob-menendez-trial\/"},"modified":"2024-06-22T06:09:29","modified_gmt":"2024-06-22T10:09:29","slug":"gold-bars-and-internet-searches-take-center-stage-at-bob-menendez-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gold-bars-and-internet-searches-take-center-stage-at-bob-menendez-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Gold bars, internet searches highlighted in Bob Menendez trial"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgold-bars-and-internet-searches-take-center-stage-at-bob-menendez-trial%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2281580&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>More than\u2064 a dozen witnesses have testified in the\u200b corruption trial of Senator Bob\u2062 Menendez (D-NJ), detailing \u2063various eccentricities \u200cand alleged misconduct as the sixth week of testimony concluded. \u200bWitnesses described Menendez&#8217;s unusual behaviors, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bob-menendez-corruption-trial-everything-you-need-to-know\/\" title=\"Bob Menendez Corruption Trial: Key Highlights\">hoarding gold bars<\/a> and\u200b emulating gangster movie scenes on his patio. Prosecutors argue that \u2063Menendez engaged in a bribery scheme, accepting 13 gold bars, a luxury car, and\u200c substantial cash\u200b sums from three New Jersey businessmen in return for political favors benefiting his co-defendants, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, both of whom, \u2063along with Menendez, have pleaded\u2063 not guilty. The \u200ctrial faced brief interruptions due to\u2064 a COVID-19 \u2064case \u2064and the \u200dJuneteenth holiday. Menendez&#8217;s wife&#8217;s trial\u200d is postponed due\u200b to a \u200dmedical\u200d emergency. Crucial\u200b evidence presented\u2062 by\u200c prosecutors included Menendez&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/swing-and-a-miss-how-voters-in-georgia-have-drastically-shifted-away-from-dems-in-final-stretch\/\" title=\"Swing and a Miss: How Voters in Georgia Have Drastically Shifted Away From Dems in Final Stretch\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/more-people-searched-gina-carano-on-google-last-week-than-disney-or-the-mandalorian\/\" title=\"More People Searched \u201cGina Carano\u201d On Google Last Week Than \u201cDisney\u201d Or \u201cThe Mandalorian\u201d\">internet searches<\/a> related<\/a> to the value of gold, linked to the significant amount found in his home during an FBI raid. The court saw Menendez\u2019s extensive online inquiries into gold prices \u200dduring several instances spanning \u2063from April 2019 to March\u2062 2022.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p>More than a dozen witnesses have taken the stand in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bob-menendez\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez\u2019s\">Sen. Bob Menendez\u2019s<\/a> (D-NJ) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3001819\/bob-menendez-corruption-trial-everything-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez\u2019s\">corruption trial<\/a> as the sixth week of testimony wrapped up Friday.<\/p>\n<p>So far, they\u2019ve told\u00a0New York jurors about how the Cuban-born lawmaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3036295\/key-witness-testifies-asked-bob-menendez-stop-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"hoarded gold bars\">hoarded gold bars<\/a>, played out scenes from gangster movies while holding court on his patio, as well as his penchant for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3044219\/menendez-trial-exposes-weird-quirks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"little silver bells\">little silver bells<\/a>. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) leaves federal court following the day\u2019s proceedings in his bribery trial Thursday, June 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo\/Larry Neumeister)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Prosecutors have painted the one-time powerful Democratic senator as a savvy participant in a widespread scheme where he traded his power and influence to the highest bidder. <\/p>\n<p>This week was an abbreviated\u00a0one. The court was out Monday after a defendant tested positive for COVID-19 and again Wednesday for Juneteenth. <\/p>\n<p>Menendez has been accused of accepting bribes from three New Jersey businessmen in the form of 13 gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and $500,000 in cash. In\u00a0exchange, federal prosecutors allege Menendez greased the wheels in deals that benefited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3008005\/bob-menendez-bribery-trial-key-players\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">codefendants<\/a> Wael Hana and Fred Daibes. Menendez, Daibes, and Hana are all on\u00a0trial together. They have all\u00a0pleaded not guilty. <\/p>\n<p>Menendez\u2019s wife, Nadine Menendez, has been charged, but her trial has been pushed back to August due to a medical emergency. <\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors Thursday showed jurors multiple instances where Menendez researched the value of gold. <\/p>\n<p>The evidence was crucial for prosecutors as they tried to trace the history of his text messages with Daibes and his internet searches for the price of gold. <\/p>\n<p>The gold bars found in Menendez\u2019s home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, during an FBI raid, were worth more than $100,000. FBI agent\u00a0Paul Van Wie described internet searches Menendez conducted when he researched the price of gold in April 2019, twice in May 2021, in October 2021, twice in December 2021, once in January 2022, and again in March and May of 2022, the<em> Associated Press<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/menendez-bribery-trial-83040b9678310469f584c5a8c5a10d1b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"reported\">reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Wie also testified that a search of Menendez\u2019s internet history since 2008 showed he had never searched for the price of gold until April 5, 2019, when Daibes allegedly bribed him. <\/p>\n<p>Menendez allegedly used his power to help Daibes secure a $95 million investment from a Qatari investment fund by taking actions as his role as a senator that were favorable to Qatar\u2019s government. <\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the week,\u00a0Philip Sellinger, a New Jersey attorney, wrapped up his testimony which began last week. He told jurors that Menendez tried to discuss a separate case involving Daibes before recommending him to the post after President Joe Biden won the election in 2020. <\/p>\n<p>Sellinger is the second law enforcement official who has testified Menendez tried to speak to him about a criminal case affecting Daibes. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER \">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday,\u00a0Michael Soliman, one of Menendez\u2019s former top aides, testified that the senator asked him to look into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-former-top-ftx-executives-plead-guilty-to-federal-charges-in-fraud-case\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Former Top FTX Executives Plead Guilty To Federal Charges In Fraud Case\">criminal fraud case<\/a> against Daibes.<\/p>\n<p>The prosecution is likely to wrap up its case next week. It is unknown whether Menendez will take the stand. <\/p>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1672648\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1672648\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over a dozen witnesses testified in the sixth week of Sen. Bob Menendez&#8217;s (D-NJ) corruption trial. They described to New York jurors how the Cuban-born senator amassed gold bars and reenacted gangster movies on his patio<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2281581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24135786498448-1.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548,538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2281580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24135786498448-1.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2281580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2281580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2281580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2281581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2281580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2281580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2281580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}