Uribe testified about an explicit bribery agreement where he bought Nadine Menendez a car in exchange for the senator’s influence to end prosecutions against Uribe’s friends. “I asked him to help me get peace for me and my family,” Uribe told jurors.
Defense Arguments
The defense argued that the money found in the Menendez home could be explained by a practice of hoarding cash, a habit developed due to his parents, Cuban immigrants, having their resources confiscated by the Cuban government. They also contended that Menendez did not know how the Mercedes-Benz had been paid for and that his wife had kept that information from him.
Menendez Convicted of Bribery: Legal Representation
The government was represented by Daniel Richenthal, Eli Mark, Lara Pomerantz, Paul Monteleoni, and Catherine Ghosh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and Christina Clark of the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division. Robert Menendez’s defense team included Adam Fee, Avi Weitzman, and Robert Luskin of Paul Hastings LLP, and Yaakov Roth of Jones Day. Nadine Menendez was represented by Barry Coburn of Coburn & Greenbaum PLLC. Hana was represented by Andrew Marino, Elena Cicognani, Jessica Guarracino, Lawrence Lustberg, Anne Collart, Christina LaBruno, Kelsey Ball, and Ricardo Solano of Gibbons PC. Daibes was represented by César de Castro, Seth Agata, and Shannon McManus of The Law Firm of Cesar de Castro PC, and Valerie Alice Gotlib of Gotlib Law PLLC.
