Menendez met with Grewal to resolve criminal prosecution of man who bought him a Mercedes

Former New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal is mentioned as “Official-2” in the indictment of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, the New Jersey Globe has learned, which likely means that Grewal would be a government witness against the senator.

Federal prosecutors claim that Menendez contacted Grewal in January 2019 in an attempt to influence the prosecution of Jose Uribe, a businessman, allegedly in exchange for the purchase of a $60,000 Mercedes convertible for the senator’s wife, Nadine.

“Specifically, Menendez contacted a senior state prosecutor in the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General who supervised the prosecution of the New Jersey Defendant and the investigation involving the New Jersey Investigative Subject (“Official-2”) in an attempt, through advice and pressure, to cause Official2 to resolve these matters favorably to the New Jersey Defendant and the New Jersey investigative subject,” the indictment said.

The indictment says the official – Grewal – “considered Robert Menendez’s actions inappropriate and did not agree to intervene.”

“After being contacted by Menendez, to avoid any potential inappropriate influence in the case, Official-2 (Grewal) did not share with the prosecution team that Menendez had contacted him about the matter, and did not intervene in the matter,” prosecutors claim.

Uribe ultimately pled guilty to the charges filed by the state after the attorney general’s office entered into a plea agreement that recommended no jail time.

“This resolution was more favorable for the New Jersey Defendant than the prosecutors’ initial plea offer earlier in the case,” the indictment stated.

After a dinner with Menendez and his wife, Wael Hanna, the North Jersey businessman who allegedly received a lucrative exclusive contract from the Egyptian government to inspect Halal meat with Menendez’s health, sent Nadine Menendez a series of text messages with details about Uribe’s prosecution, prosecutors allege.

About two days later, Menendez “requested and received multiple text messages” from his wife about Uribe, which Nadine Menendez “requested and received from Hana.”

In July 2019, after a New Jersey detective sought to interview a potential witness connected to Uribe, Menendez agreed to make a second attempt to intervene with Grewal.

“After learning of this interview request, Uribe contacted Nadine Menendez and met with her on or about the evening of July 31, 2019,” prosecutors say.  “The next morning, Uribe sent Nadine Menendez a series of texts saying that he did not want anyone to ‘bother’ the New Jersey Investigative subject.”

That person was a broker at an insurance agency Uribe controlled.

“[W]e need to make things go away,’ …’ [w]e need to move fast,” and ‘[w]e can still stop this.’: Uribe told Nadine Menendez in a text.  She then responded that she would address it as soon as the senator was home.

“He will be home first thing tomorrow I will address it first thing tomorrow and have the phone calls go out,” she later texted Uribe.

Later that day, prosecutors say Menendez “performed a Google search for the initials of the state agency employing the insurance fraud investigator who was seeking to interview the New Jersey investigative subject.”

According to the indictment, Nadine Menendez texted Uribe a few days later to say that her husband told her, ““it would’ve been so so easy if we had wrapped both [requests] together.”

Around September 6, 2019, Menendez met with Official-2 – Grewal – at his Newark Senate office and “through advice and pressure, to cause Official-2 to favorably resolve the investigation.”

Menendez told Uribe he thought the meeting was “very positive.”

Prosecutors say that Uribe called Menendez is Washington around October 29.

“Within minutes of getting off the phone, Uribe texted Nadine Menendez, writing, “I just got a call, and I am a very happy person.” and “God bless you and him forever,”  the indictment stated.

Several nights later, the senator, his wife, Uribe, and another person met for a celebratory dinner and toasted with a bottle of champagne., prosecutors say

Hana and Uribe were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.

Grewal left the attorney general’s office in 2021 to become the director of the Division of Enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.   He did not respond to a text message seeking comment.