U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife Nadine Menendez are requesting a federal judge grant them separate trials for the corruption charges they face in New York. Their attorneys argue the couple otherwise would be forced to testify against each other under a joint trial.
NJ Spotlight News spoke with former Assistant U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Chris Gramiccioni about the strategy and the prospects of success.
“What is unusual is the possibility of the court actually granting it, because the allegations are that the senator and Mrs. Menendez are involved in a criminal conspiracy that they’ve mutually gained from,” he said. “The federal system really favors joint trials for people indicted together to promote efficiency and to serve the interests of justice by preventing inconsistent verdicts in two separate trials.”
Menendez and his wife were charged last fall with aiding three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for cash, gold bars and a luxury car. The senior senator is also accused of acting as a foreign agent while serving as the powerful chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
All parties have pleaded not guilty, but how will the request for separate trials affect the case?
“I’d anticipate that would be an uphill battle for the defense,” Gramiccioni said.
