Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, was accused on twelve additional criminal charges on Tuesday. These allegations stem from a bribery plot that spanned years and involved the governments of Qatar and Egypt.
The fresh accusations are levied only days after a businessman from fresh Jersey who had been indicted with Menendez, his wife Nadine, and two others consented to plead guilty and assist with the probe.
The superseding indictment adds several more counts, including conspiracy, obstruction of justice, bribery, extortion, and honest services wire fraud, as well as public officials operating as foreign agents.
Concealing official relations with foreign agents, conspiring to commit extortion under colour of official right, conspiring to commit honest services fraud, and conspiring to commit bribery were the four charges against Menendez.
The so-called substantive crimes that lie behind the conspiracy counts are now part of the new charges.
The accused, Menendez, has accused the prosecution of trying to frame him and has denied any wrongdoing.
