In
Menendez Trial
Cooperator
Uribe Is
Crossed on
Defrauding
Santander but
not Strip
Clubs
by
Matthew Russell Lee
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
June 11 – Amid reports of
investigation against Sen.
Robert Menendez for taking
gold bars, Inner City Press'
sources on September 21 it to
expect on Friday, September 22
an appearance in Federal court
in Manhattan by Menendez and
his wife Nadine Arslanian. This
scoop
was true.
Later a
superseder was unveiled,
including charges of bribes to
act for Qatar...
On April 11, 2024
after Nadine Menendez and then
the government asked for
delay, to July or undefined,
Judge Stein severed her case
and reaffirmed May 6, Inner
City Press thread
On Sunday night
April 14 the US wrote in again
asking for a delay to July,
six page letter on Patreon here.
But Judge Stein
told the parties to confer and
report by April 16 at 1 pm.
Then he set an April 17
conference, which Inner City
Press live tweeted and dubbed
"Berate-gate," thread
On May 13, jury
selection began - but did not
finish. Abit later, Menendez
got into an car with FOP NJ
plates.
On May 14 jury
selection continued but was
not yet completed, from the
ending, thread
Late on May 14,
the US Attorney's Office filed
opposition to slides the
defense wants to use in its
opening arguments, including
quotes from Colin Powell and
MLK, and when Nadine came into
possession of gold - full
letter on Patreon here
Inner City Press
live tweeted jury selection
and then opening arguments here,
then filmed Bob's exit (he
said he thought it went well
and that his guy did great).
On May 21, the US
Attorney's Office put on Wael
Hana's lawyer, then a US State
Department official working on
Congressional approval (or
holds) on arms transfer to
Egypt, thread here.
On May 23, with
the trial in haitus, docketed
was Menendez' lawyers
opposition to quashing his
subpoena for Jose Uribe's
attorney proffer and
communications with SDNY
prosecutors, filing on Patreon
here
On May 29, Inner
City Press live tweeted,
omitting Morton's steakhouse
but including this
On May 30,
Menendez's lawyer's (long)
cross, including this.
On May 31,
starting 1 pm, the agent was
cross examined, and then USDA
Ted McKinney on direct, thread
After the
trial day, Inner City Press
filed Menendez' walk to his
Jersey-plated car; asked why
he called McKinney he said,
Wait for the cross
[examination].
Nadine Menendez
hired a new lawyer, who
previously represented Sydney
Powell among others. Then
this: "ORDER as to Nadine
Menendez: At the request of
the defendant and with the
consent of the government
[Doc. No. 434], the status
conference is adjourned from
June 10 to June 12 at 5 :00
p.m.(Signed by Judge Sidney H.
Stein on 6/3/2024)."
On June 4 Judge
Stein dockted a partially
redacted Order in which he
denied Menendez's request that
the prosecutors give him
impeachment material about a
Confidential Human Source they
are not going to call as a
witness - but Menendez said he
will.
On June 5, Inner
City Press live tweeted - and
afterward asked Menendez a
question. Thread.
On June 6, after
more cross of Agent Graves,
Gurbir Grewal testified, thread
On June 7, after
an FBI fingerprint expert,
cooperator Jose Uribe, Inner
City Press live tweeted, thread
On June 10, Uribe
finished his direct
examination around 4 pm, then
counsel for Hana, not yet
Menendez, began cross
examination, thread.
On June 11, Uribe
was cross examined - though
not on the "strip club issue"
after which out on Worth
Street Menendez decried
Uribe's crimes. Thread:
Hana's lawyer:
Isn't it true you didn't
mention Mr. Hana mentioned
Senator Menendez until many
meetings into your cooperation
with the government? Uribe: I
don't have a recollection.
Hana's lawyer: At the bar,
there was no discussion with
Hana about Part 1 & 2?
No
Hana's lawyer:
Are you aware that Nadine
referred Doug Anton to Hana as
a possible lawyer for Elvis
Parra, for $20,000 for
probation, or $150,000 if it
went to trial? Uribe: I had no
knowledge. Hana's lawyer: Fair
to say you lie a lot? Uribe: I
have lied
Hana's lawyer:
You ripped off the SBA? Uribe:
I used the wrong numbers.
Hana's lawyer: Fake numbers,
right? Uribe: To get the loan.
Hana's lawyer: You are
testifying to get a lower
sentence, right? Uribe: Less
than 95 years, I am hoping.
Maybe no jail Judge
Stein: Let's break. [With jury
out of room]
Hana's lawyer
Lustberg: We want to cross him
about a car crash and most
about his failure to pay child
support, given his claims of
being a family man. He says
the woman he didn't pay got
into another
relationship
AUSA Richenthal:
We don't want to put into the
public record things we want
out of it... What Mr. Lustberg
just said is inaccurate, I'm
not saying intentionally so.
This is deeply personal.
Judge Stein:
We're dancing around some
things here
Judge Stein: What
about the strip clubs?
AUSA Richenthal:
I'd ask Your Honor to be
carefully how to describe the
conduct -
Lustberg: I will
too, it's in the papers, he's
claimed to be a choirboy but
this goes directly to
morality.
Judge: You have a
lot on him Judge: The
strip club, essentially
irrelevant. The child support,
on a 403 weighing, I'm going
to exclude it too. It doesn't
go to truthfulness. You've got
so much to work with on the
cross. So this falls into 403.
It's prejudicial.
Judge: OK, now we'll break.
Cross
continues, by Hana's lawyer
Hana's lawyer: After the
prosecutors told you that you
were the target of a tax
investigation, you pled guilty
saying you bribed Senator
Menendez, right? Uribe: After
I pled guilty I had to tell
the truth. [After
lunch break]
Judge Stein: OK,
Mr. Fee, try to avoid
objections. Menendez' lawyer
Fee: Read that, Mr. Uribe, and
let me know when you're
finished. Uribe: OK.
Fee: Ana was not
in touch with your daughter
Vanessa when she called you
and said, I'm pregnant and I
need a job. Yes.
Menendez's lawyer Fee: So you
put her as head of the company
you were illegally running?
Uribe: Can I add to your
question? Fee: No. Your son
refused to run it -
Uribe: He went to
Seattle... I use my family to
have the opportunity to share
my business, we share
Menendez's lawyer Fee: You
used your nephew at Santander
to commit wire fraud? Uribe:
He was a salesman there Fee:
Santander is an international
bank, right? Uribe: I know it
operates in the US. Fee: And
you defrauded the SBA? Uribe:
I used a fake tax return,
yes
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: You remember Jose Suero
& Hoboken 1st Class Corp -
and taking premiums from them
for three and a half years,
right? Uribe: Yes Fee: Then
one of his limos got into an
accident, right? Uribe: I
don't remember. Fee: Suero
closed? A: He's in NJ
Menendez's lawyer Fee: After
you got Nadine the car, she
stopped answering you as
quickly, right? Uribe: Yes.
Fee: You felt she
was using you? Uribe: I never
thought that. Fee: You never
talked about the car with
Senator Menendez? Uribe: I did
not. Menendez's lawyer
Fee: Nadine never told you
that she told Senator Menendez
you paid for her car, did she?
Uribe: She did not. Fee: You
know Senator Menendez is an
advocate for Latinos? Uribe: I
do not follow Mr. Menendez,
what he likes about his
job. Judge: We'll break
here.
They've
back Menendez's lawyer Fee:
You hosted a fundraiser for
Senator Menendez, with nearly
all Latino truckers? Uribe:
Yes. Fee: And Senator Menendez
asked the attendees to share
with him their stories of any
problems? Uribe: I don't
remember that Menendez's
lawyer Fee: Here, his [then]
staffer Samantha Maltzman
texted you a story about
Latino museum opening in DC
after work by Senator
Menendez? Uribe: I see that.
Menendez's
lawyer Fee: You never told
Senator Menendez that you were
operating without a license,
did you? Uribe: I don't recall
telling him that. Fee: Andy
told you Doug Anton was crazy
in love with Nadine? Uribe:
Yes Judge: That's not for the
truth, jurors
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: You claim the Senator
called you from his office in
DC and said That thing that
you asked me, there is nothing
there, you have your peace?
Uribe: Yes. Fee: He didn't ask
for a bribe, right? Uribe: No
he did not. Judge: We'll
stop for the day here.
More on X for
Subscribers here
and Substack here
The case is US v.
Menendez, et al., 23-cr-490
(Stein)
More
on Substack here
***
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