Co-defendant in Menendez corruption case pleads guilty, will cooperate with prosecutors and testify against senator

A co-defendant in the corruption investigation of Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey has pleaded guilty and will cooperate with federal prosecutors.

Businessman Jose Uribe, who is accused of giving the senator’s wife, Nadine, a luxury convertible, pleaded guilty to seven counts in connection with the corruption probe, including conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services fraud and obstruction of justice, according to the plea agreement filed with the court.

Uribe has agreed to cooperate with the prosecution and will testify against Menendez, a three-term Democrat.

“It is understood the defendant ... shall truthfully and completely disclose all information with the respect to the activities of himself and others concerning all matters about which this Office inquires of him,” the plea agreement states.

Federal prosectors have accused Bob and Nadine Menendez of taking bribes of gold bars, a luxury car and cash in exchange for assisting the Egyptian government and private individuals, according to a September 2023 indictment.

Jose Uribe is a New Jersey businessman in the trucking and insurance business who was friends with fellow defendant Wael Hana, according to prosecutors. Hana and Uribe allegedly got Nadine Menendez a Mercedes convertible after the senator called a government official about another case involving an associate of Uribe.

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“Congratulations mon amour de la vie, we are the proud owners of a 2019 Mercedes,” Nadine Menendez allegedly texted her husband, along with a heart emoji after they got the vehicle.

Uribe allegedly gave the Mercedes to Bob Menendez and his wife as he sought help with a criminal investigation into his associates being run out of the New Jersey state attorney general’s office. In exchange, Menendez is accused of calling then-New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal directly about the matter.

Uribe is one of three businessmen the couple is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from, along with Hana and Fred Daibes.

Bob Menendez, his wife and all of the other defendants have pleaded not guilty. Uribe previously pleaded not guilty in October, but in a surprise move changed his plea Friday.

If convicted on all seven counts, Uribe faced up to 95 years in prison. It was not clear what prison time, if any, he would face as a result of the plea deal.

Adam Fee, Menendez's attorney, said in a statement, “Senator Menendez has spent months detailing the law and the evidence that demonstrate that charges should never have been filed in this case. Today’s news of Mr. Uribe’s change of plea does not change the core truth: Sen. Menendez is innocent and the prosecutors have got it wrong. Sen. Menendez continues to look forward to proving his innocence to a jury.”