SDNY issues new subpoenas in Bob Menendez case as investigation expands
Emily Jacobs
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A federal grand jury issued a new round of subpoenas concerning the criminal investigation into Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ) this week, a sign the inquiry is widening.
Menendez has been under investigation for months regarding his and his wife’s relationship with the owners of IS EG Halal, a halal meat business based in Edgewater, New Jersey. Investigators have been probing whether the couple improperly accepted cash and other gifts from the business owners, as well as how the company secured an exclusive contract with the government of Egypt to certify halal exports. These newest subpoenas appear to be for unrelated parties, however, suggesting the investigation is expanding.
Those subpoenaed by the Southern District of New York on Wednesday include longtime North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, whose office said in a statement that he plans to cooperate. A source close to the inquiry told NBC News that Sacco’s subpoena seeks information about legislative changes in New Jersey.
“As they always have, Mayor Sacco and the Township of North Bergen will comply with any inquiry they receive from law enforcement and will cooperate fully,” a spokesman for the mayor said. “We do not feel that it would be appropriate to offer any additional comment at this time.”
A representative for Menendez, who has denied any wrongdoing, declined to comment to the Washington Examiner on the allegations.
The New Jersey senator is no stranger to legal struggles. He was indicted in 2015 on federal corruption charges of illegally accepting gifts from a Florida ophthalmologist in exchange for political favors. The case ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict, and the Justice Department ultimately decided against retrying him.
SDNY prosecutors involved in the current investigation reportedly began contacting people close to Menendez, who has served in the Senate since 2006 and is up for reelection next year, in October of last year. It is not clear how long before that the inquiry was launched.
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Menendez launched a legal defense fund in April, which a private spokesman for the senator said was set up to prevent using his campaign accounts for attorneys fees. By the time he launched the fund, Menendez had spent more than $230,000 from his campaign coffers on lawyers and related consultants.
“Sen. Menendez is confident that this official inquiry will be successfully closed, but as it is still unresolved he will be opening a separate legal defense fund so as not to drain any further campaign funds,” Michael Soliman, who is handling the senator’s press for legal matters, said at the time.