A US senator on trial for corruption has put the blame on his wife, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, by saying the gold bars and cash found hidden in a closet at their home belonged to her.
Bob Menendez, a Democrat who has represented New Jersey since 2006, is accused of accepting bribes and working as a foreign agent for Egypt. He has denied the charges and refused to resign from Congress.
Avi Weitzman, for the defence, said at the start of the trial in New York on Thursday that Menendez’s wife, Nadine, “kept him in the dark” about her financial troubles and claimed she was responsible for the hoard of gold and almost half a million dollars in cash seized by the FBI.
