{"id":2287446,"date":"2024-07-01T16:54:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T20:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-a-cuban-thing-menendezs-sister-testifies-family-often-hid-cash-in-home-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-01T16:56:23","modified_gmt":"2024-07-01T20:56:23","slug":"its-a-cuban-thing-menendezs-sister-testifies-family-often-hid-cash-in-home-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-a-cuban-thing-menendezs-sister-testifies-family-often-hid-cash-in-home-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s a Cuban thing\u2019: Menendez\u2019s sister testifies family often hid cash in home &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"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\">32<\/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%2Fits-a-cuban-thing-menendezs-sister-testifies-family-often-hid-cash-in-home-washington-examiner%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=2287446&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>On July \u20631, 2024, Bob Menendez&#8217;s sister, Caridad Gonzalez, testified\u200b in court explaining why federal agents found $480,000 in cash during a raid at the\u200c senator\u2019s New Jersey home. She stated that storing cash in the home was a common practice among Cubans due to a \u2064lack of trust in banks and government. Gonzalez shared her family&#8217;s experience of fleeing Cuba and hiding money in various places in \u2062their home. This testimony\u2064 was crucial for Menendez&#8217;s defense in his bribery trial, where he is accused of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-ask-joe-biden-to-testify-about-corruption-charges-in-impeachment-hearing\/\" title=\"House Republicans request Joe Biden&#039;s testimony on corruption allegations during impeachment hearing\">trading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kevin-mccarthy-calls-on-pentagon-to-restore-nsa-general-counsel-michael-ellis-to-active-service\/\" title=\"Kevin McCarthy Calls on Pentagon to Restore NSA General Counsel Michael Ellis to Active Service\">political influence<\/a><\/a> for bribes. Menendez&#8217;s wife, Nadine Menendez, was\u2062 also \u2062charged in the scheme but her trial has\u2064 been postponed due to her recovery from breast cancer. Menendez is on trial with two New Jersey businessmen accused of bribing him.  <\/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<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">\n<div class=\"tdb-search-form-inner\"><input class=\"tdb-head-search-form-input\" placeholder=\" \" type=\"text\" value name=\"s\" autocomplete=\"off\" \/><button class=\"wpb_button wpb_btn-inverse btn tdb-head-search-form-btn\" title=\"Search\" type=\"submit\"><span>Search<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">\u2018It\u2019s a Cuban thing\u2019: Menendez\u2019s sister testifies family often hid cash in home<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> <a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/barnini-chakraborty\/\">Barnini Chakraborty<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-07-01T16:01:50-04:00\">July 1, 2024 4:01 pm<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1653805\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bob-menendez\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Bob Menendez<\/a>\u2018s (D-NJ) sister testified on Monday that storing cash in one\u2019s home is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cuba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cCuban thing\u201d<\/a> in an attempt to explain why federal agents found $480,000 in cash during a raid at the senator\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"New Jersey\">New Jersey<\/a> home last year.<\/p>\n<p>Caridad Gonzalez, 80, told a New York jury her family was forced to leave everything behind when they fled Cuba and that the only money they had was what her father hid in the false bottom of a grandfather clock.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prosecutors-end-criminal-case-against-jeffrey-epsteins-guards\/\" title=\"Prosecutors End Criminal Case Against Jeffrey Epstein&#039;s Guards\">leaves federal court<\/a> following the day\u2019s proceedings in his bribery trial on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo\/Larry Neumeister)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She insisted that Cubans often hid cash at home\u00a0because they were distrustful of the banks and government. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a Cuban thing,\u201d said Gonzalez, the first witness to testify for the defense. \u201cThey were afraid of losing what they worked so hard for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gonzalez was 8 years old when her parents fled Cuba, three years before Menendez was born in New York City. Gonzalez said her parents stashed cash in their home when they got to the United States, where her father worked as a clothing manufacturer and carpenter. <\/p>\n<p>Specifically, he kept cash in a shoebox on a shelf in the closet, while her mother stored money in the door frame of a closet. Her aunt had $60,000 in a bag in the basement of her home, which was only discovered after there was a fire. <\/p>\n<p>Gonzalez testified that the habit of keeping cash on hand had been drilled into her and her brother by their parents, who often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukraine-sets-ceasefire-goal-for-new-russia-talks-but-breakthrough-looks-distant\/\" title=\"Ukraine sets ceasefire goal for new Russia talks, but breakthrough looks distant\">told harrowing tales<\/a> of police officers pressuring their father to shut down a manufacturing facility he operated. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaddy always said: \u2018Don\u2019t trust the banks. If you trust the banks, you never know what can happen. So you must always have money at home,&#8217;\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p>Gonzalez\u2019s testimony was key for the defense as it tried to explain why FBI agents had found 13 gold bars, cash, and other pricey items at Menendez\u2019s home. <\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors on Friday rested their\u00a0case against\u00a0the longtime senator accused of trading his political influence to the highest bidder. <\/p>\n<p>The government spent the past seven weeks painting Menendez as a greedy politician who held court in his New Jersey home, rang a tiny silver bell to summon his wife, and puffed on cigars. It claimed he agreed to take hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for steering aid to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/egypt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Egypt<\/a>,\u00a0helping facilitate a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3008652\/bob-menendez-trial-halal-meat-monopoly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">halal meat monopoly<\/a>, and disrupting criminal investigations on behalf of friends.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez, 70, and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-sdny\/pr\/us-senator-robert-menendez-his-wife-and-three-new-jersey-businessmen-charged-bribery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"both charged\">both charged<\/a> in the yearslong\u00a0scheme.<\/p>\n<p>She was supposed to be on trial with her husband, but her court date\u00a0has been pushed back to at least August while she recovers from breast cancer. <\/p>\n<p>Bob Menendez is on trial with two of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3008005\/bob-menendez-bribery-trial-key-players\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New Jersey businessmen<\/a> accused of bribing him after a third pleaded guilty and cut a deal with the government. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" 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>The defense in the senator\u2019s case is supposed to take at least three days.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Menendez, Nadine Menendez,\u00a0Wael Hana, and Fred Daibes have all pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><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_1653805\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1653805\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Tags<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\">2024 Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bob-menendez\/\">Bob Menendez<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bribery\/\">Bribery<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cuba\/\">Cuba<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/egypt\/\">Egypt<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-jersey\/\">New Jersey<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\">Senate<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Menendez&#8217;s sister testified that storing cash at home is a common practice among Cubans, as they are often distrustful of banks and the government. She explained that their family had to leave everything behind when they fled Cuba and the only money they had was what her father had hidden in their home. This testimony was important for the defense in Menendez&#8217;s bribery trial, where prosecutors have accused him of accepting bribes in exchange for political favors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2287447,"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\/bob-menendez.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4119,6154,3881,21401,8676],"class_list":["post-2287446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cash","tag-cuban","tag-family","tag-menendez","tag-testimony"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/bob-menendez.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287446","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=2287446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2287447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2287446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2287446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2287446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}