The Blubber

Gold bars found in Sen. Bob Menendez’s home linked to 2013 robbery, per NYP.

In September, during a federal corruption investigation involving Senator Robert Menendez, four gold bars confiscated from him have now been linked to a 2013 armed robbery targeting a New Jersey businessman. The businessman, Fred Daibes, reported the armed robbery a decade ago, during which four assailants broke into his home, tied him up at gunpoint, and made off with $500,000 in cash and a collection of 22 gold bars, each marked with unique serial numbers.

Law enforcement swiftly apprehended the suspects and recovered the stolen items. However, to reclaim his property, Daibes had to sign release forms confirming ownership of the valuables. During a 2014 deposition related to the robbery case, Daibes emphasized the unique serial numbers on each gold bar, highlighting their distinctiveness.

Senator Menendez, aged 69, faced indictment in September when federal agents raided his Clifton residence, discovering $500,000 in cash and two gold bars that were part of the collection stolen from Daibes a decade earlier. Another two gold bars emerged at a local jeweler's, reportedly dropped off for sale by an unidentified individual.

On November 27, Menendez and his wife pleaded not guilty to charges alleging that they traded political influence for bribes. The indictment suggests that Menendez exerted influence to protect a lucrative Egyptian enterprise, implicating co-defendants Daibes and Jose Uribe, a former insurance agent.

Despite facing mounting calls from Democrats to resign, Menendez, who stepped down from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has maintained his innocence. He denies accepting payments from Daibes, though investigators claim to have collected Daibes' fingerprints and DNA from envelopes filled with cash found in the senator's home. While Menendez has vowed not to resign from the Senate, he continues to urge the public to await the revelation of the truth.