(Bloomberg) — US Senator Robert Menendez faces a new criminal charge of conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent of Egypt, in a revised indictment that expands on criminal charges accusing the Democrat of bribery.
Menendez, his wife Nadine and businessman Wael Hana face the new count in federal court in Manhattan, where they were first indicted Sept. 22 in a sweeping corruption case.
Prosecutors allege Menendez, 69, gave Egyptian officials “highly sensitive” information about who worked at the US embassy in Cairo. They also allege he secretly wrote a letter that Egypt sent to his colleagues, urging them to lift a hold on $300 million in US aid. Menendez had his wife tell Hana that he would approve a $99 million arms sale to Egypt, the US said.
Menendez allegedly pressured a US Department of Agriculture official to protect the exclusive right Egypt gave to Hana’s company, EG Halal Certified Inc., to certify US food exports as compliant with halal standards.
Menendez is accused of accepting bribes of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars and a Mercedes convertible. Menendez, his wife, Hana and two other businessmen charged with them, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe, have pleaded not guilty.
Dozens of Democratic senators have called on Menendez to resign. He has vowed to beat the charges, although he stepped down temporarily as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The case is US v Menendez, 23-cr-490, US District Court, Southern District of New York.
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