Who is Wael Hana? Businessman charged in Robert Menendez case arrested at JFK
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Wael Hana, the 40-year-old businessman from New Jersey who is a co-defendant in the Robert Menendez case, was arrested on September 26 at the John F Kennedy Airport.
He is one of the three businessmen who have been federally charged for allegedly coordinating hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to the Democratic Senator and his wife.
Hana was taken into custody after flying into New York from Egypt. Lawrence Lustberg, his attorney, stated that Hana had "returned voluntarily from Egypt so that he would have the opportunity to prove his innocence which we are confident he will be able to do after a full and fair trial."
The businessman, who is originally from Egypt, has been arraigned. According to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, he has pleaded not guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.
What are the charges against Robert Menendez?
Senator Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menedez, have allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for using his power and influence to protect and enrich three businessmen, including Hana, as well as benefit Egypt's government.
The bribes included cash, gold bars, mortgage payments, and compensation. During a search of their home in June 2022, federal agents found more than $480,000 dollars in cash.
Menendez chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before stepping down after his indictment, following the rules of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
According to prosecutors, Hana and Nadine Menendez "worked to introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials" to the senator with the goal of establishing a "corrupt agreement" since 2018.
Other allegations include Hana hiring Nadine Menendez at IS EG Halal Certified, a halal meat export certification company, for a 'low-or-no-show' position. In exchange, the senator facilitated foreign military sales and financing to Egypt that had been withheld for years, read the indictment.
Menendez also intervened to protect a monopoly for Hana's company in 2019. That led to increased costs for US meat suppliers as well as others, according to the charging documents. Prosecutors allege that this monopoly in turn provided a revenue stream for the bribes.
What is in store for Robert Menendez and Wael Hana?
A growing list of Democrats from the Senate, nearly two dozen, have called upon Bob Menendez to step down after his indictment. Menendez has so far rejected those calls, stating that he will "be exonerated."
Wael Hana could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the bribery count, and 20 years in prison for the fraud count if convicted.
The two other businessmen from New Jersey, who face the same charges as Hana, are Jose Uribe, 56, and Fred Daibes, 66.
