The criminal corruption trial of the Democratic US senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is scheduled to get under way in a Manhattan federal court on Monday, with prosecutors preparing a colorful tale of a greedy politician with a fondness for gold bullion, fast cars and almost half a million dollars in cash found hidden around his home.
Menendez, 70, insists he is innocent of the 16 felony charges brought against him by the US attorney’s office of the southern district of New York, including bribery, extortion, obstruction and acting as a foreign agent.
