Menendez pleads not guilty in court
NEWARK – A stoic Sen. Robert Menendez appeared in federal court today, where his attorney entered pleas of not guilty to all 14 counts in an indictment handed up on Wednesday.
Judge Mark Falk set a tentative trial date of July 13 and ordered that Menendez surrender his personal passport and released him on his own recognizance. The judge, however, allowed the senator to retain the government passport he has for official business.
Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on corruption charges
The judge allowed Menendez's friend and codefendant, Dr. Salomon Melgen, to remain free on the conditions that he post a $1.5 million bond, surrender all passports, remove all firearms from his home and submit proof that he has grounded his private jet.
Melgen's attorney also entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to all 14 counts in the indictment.
Melgen, accompanied by his two attorneys and others, did not comment when he left the courthouse, where a throng of news media waited outside.
Menendez emerged several minutes later with his attorneys and, as he did at a news conference Wednesday night, issued a statement insisting he is innocent and that the Justice Department for three years have pursued charges against him based on "smears" by his political opponents.
"Now that they have laid out their case, we will finally have an opportunity to respond on the record in court with the facts, as I said yesterday,'' Menendez said. "These allegations are false, and I am confident they will be proven false, and I look forward to doing so in court.''
The senator's attorney also addressed reporters, making comparisons to cases where Justice Department prosecutors failed to gain convictions against public officials they prosecuted.
Attorney Abbe Lowell specifically referred to the prosecutions of U.S. senators Ted Stevens and John Edwards.
"Prosecutors at the Justice Department often get it wrong,'' Lowell said. "These charges are the latest instances.
""This investigation started with false and salacious rumors made by political opponents and others of Senator Menendez,'' Lowell said.
He said investigating agents pressured witnesses, and there were "more than it's fair share of improper leaks to the press.''
Lowell said he has asked the Justice Department to investigate that conduct and added that he hopes it does so with as much vigor is it displayed in its probe of Menendez.
He said prosecutors now have to supply proof that the senator's relationship with Melgen is something other than a 20-year friendship.
"Because this was a real friendship and not a corrupt relationship, and because Senator Menendez's actions were proper, this case, too will become another of the mistaken cases that should never have been brought,'' Lowell said.
The judge scheduled a conference in the case for April 22.
Menendez, 61, faces charges of using his power as senator to promote the interests of a wealthy Florida eye doctor, 61-year-old Solomon Melgen of West Palm Beach, Florida, in exchange for nearly $1 million in gifts.
Menendez had previously reimbursed Melgen for some $70,000 for a series of round-trip flights from Teterboro to Melgen's luxurious villa in the Dominican Republic.
But the latest allegations, detailed in the indictment, include extravagant vacations, expensive meals and campaign donations, among other favors.
According to the indictment, Menendez helped secure visas for at least three of Melgen's foreign girlfriends, blocked potential threats to Melgen's cargo screening services contract with the Dominican Republic and intervened in a Medicare billing dispute worth millions of dollars for the doctor.
Menendez faces the following charges:
•Eight counts of bribery;
•One count of conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services fraud;
•One act of violating the Travel Act (for allegedly flying to Paris on Melgen's dime);
•Three counts of honest services fraud; and
•One count of false statements
The allegations could threaten the clout of Menendez, a top Democrat who has spoken out on matters of Iran's nuclear program and U.S. efforts to improve ties with Cuba. He stepped down from his role as former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hours after the incitment was announced.
Menendez told a crowd of people in a news conference Wednesday that he would fight the allegations.
"At the end of the day, I will be vindicated and they will be exposed," the senator said, referring to unnamed political enemies. "This is not how my political career is going to end."
Menendez: 'I am not going anywhere'
But the evidence listed in the indictment includes evidence suggesting a friendship between Menendez and Melgen that may have crossed the line into political favors.
Menendez acknowledged several round-trip flights were initially were not reimbursed, but the indictment goes into detail about other gifts that didn't were not reported on financial disclosure forms.
The flights allegedly often involved vacations in Melgen's luxurious villa in the Dominican Republic, where Melgen employs private cooks, cleaners and other in-house staff. The villa is located within a resort with 13 tennis courts, a spa and a 245-acre shooting facility.
The Travel Act violation count stems from an alleged trip to Paris in 2010, where Menendez went to visit a girlfriend. Investigators say Melgen paid for a three-night stay at a five-star hotel suite with a king-size bed, a limestone bath with a soaking tub and rain shower and other amenities. Melgen allegedly paid for the suite, worth $4,394.10, using 649,611 of his American Express Membership Rewards points.
There are other favors, ranging from car services to golf outings and campaign contributions that investigators tied to Melgen. According to the indictment, Melgen donated hundreds of thousands to funds for Menendez and his colleagues in the Senate.
One contribution was made to a campaign for "Senator 1" in 2012, according to the indictment. That senator raised $25,000 to support Menendez's relection campaign, and he agreed to match that amount. Menendez fundraisers allegedly solicited that amount from Melgen.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who matches the description of "Senator 1," said Wednesday night that she would return campaign contributions she received from both of them. She was not accused of wrongdoing.
The indictment accuses Menendez of using his power to "promote Melgen's personal and business interests with a United States ambassador, fellow United States senators and Executive Branch officials, including a member of the president's cabinet."
According to the indictment, Menendez put pressure on the State Department to influence the Dominican Republic government to stick with Melgen's exclusive cargo-screening services. Melgen had a multi-million dollar contract to provide the exclusive services in the country's ports. The indictment also said he stopped the Customs and Border Protection from donating shipping container monitoring and surveillance equipment to the Dominican Republic that would have threatened the contract.
This is a developing story. Check back with APP.com for more updates.
Contributing: Associated Press