New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, wife, plead not guilty to new federal charges

March 11 (UPI) -- New Jersey's embattled Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife plead not guilty Monday to more than a dozen federal charges, including obstruction of justice, filed last week.

The total number of charges against Menendez are now at 18. Judge Sidney Stein rejected the senator's Monday request to move the May 6 trial date.

The 16 new charges filed March 5 in a third superseding indictment against Menendez and this time his wife, Nadine, allege that the two had "engaged in corrupt relationship with three New Jersey associates and businessmen."

It was alleged that the senator and his wife had obstructed justice in their attempt to cover up supposed bribe payments to Menendez through his wife from New Jersey businessmen.

The senator and his wife allegedly instructed their attorney's to tell prosecutor's they did not know of the payments until 2022. Prosecutors say the two mischaracterized their knowledge of cars given to them and a $23,000 payment from another businessman toward Nadine Menendez' mortgage payment.

Menendez, former chair of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, had also pleaded not guilty in Oct. 2023 in a Manhattan court to accusations that he had abused his office by exerting influence to act as an agent for the Egyptian government from January 2018 until at least June 2022, and took gifts from the government of Qatar.