InfoBytes Blog
DOJ Announces Indictment of U.S. Senator Menendez and Friend Salomon Melgen for Conspiracy, Bribery, and Honest Services Fraud
On April 1, the DOJ indicted Senator Robert Menendez and Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen for an alleged bribery scheme in which Menendez accepted financial gifts from Melgen in exchange for using his position of power to assist Melgen in furthering financial and personal interests. According to the DOJ, from January 2006 and January 2013, Menendez accepted gifts including a vacation on the coast of the Dominican Republic, hundreds of thousands of dollars to his 2012 Senate campaign, and numerous trips on Melgen’s private jet. In return for these gifts, which were never reported on the appropriate financial disclosure forms, Menendez (i) pressured executive agencies regarding a dispute between Melgen and the Dominican Republic government concerning a contract relating to the “exclusive screening of containers coming through the Dominican ports;” (ii) advocated on Melgen’s behalf in regards to a Medicare billing dispute; and (iii) actively supported the visa applications of persons related to or in a relationship with Melgen.