After the prosecution rested its case last week against the embattled senior U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the defense began presenting its case as the bribery trial enters its eighth week.
On Monday morning, the defense began building their case, calling witnesses to support their claims that no crimes were committed and no bribes were paid to the indicted senator.
Menendez’s older sister, Caridad Gonzalez, took the stand on Monday and testified about their family’s habit of storing cash at home and her father’s repeated calls to distrust the banks. The testimony appeared to underscore Menendez’s defense behind more than $480,000 investigators found in his New Jersey home.
Her testimony came after the prosecution rested its case after spending seven weeks presenting evidence and testimony from more than two dozen witnesses contending Menendez accepted bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car — all in exchange for using his power and influence to benefit three businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
Nadine Menendez’s younger sister also took the stand. Katia Tabourian testified and said Nadine inherited half of her mother’s jewelry and all of her grandmother’s gold bars.
