NJ insurance broker pleads guilty to bribery scheme
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A New Jersey insurance broker who was indicted along with Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) for his participation in a bribery scheme has pleaded guilty to all seven charges brought by federal prosecutors.
Daniel M. Gitner, chief of the criminal division for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accepted the change of Jose Uribe’s plea to guilty on Friday.
The charges against Mr. Uribe included conspiracy to commit bribery, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and tax evasion, and stem from a scheme that ran from 2018 until 2022.
During that time, Mr. Uribe, New Jersey businessman Wael Hana and real estate developer Fred Daibes allegedly paid Mr. Menendez and his wife, Nadine, to use the senator’s influence to protect their interests as well as the government of Egypt.
Mr. Uribe and Mr. Hana allegedly agreed to help purchase a new $60,000 Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible in 2019 so Sen. Menendez would interfere in the criminal investigation and prosecution by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Mr. Uribe and one of his employees for insurance fraud. The prosecution was ultimately resolved through a plea agreement, and neither Mr. Uribe nor his employee were ever charged, court records show.
Mr. Hana, who is originally from Egypt and still has close connections with the Egyptian government, allegedly introduced the senator and his wife to intelligence and military officials and paid them to take actions that would benefit the country. In May 2018, Mr. Hana allegedly conspired with Mr. Menendez to urge other U.S. senators to release a hold on $300 million in aid for Egypt. Another alleged scheme involved the sale of military equipment and weapons to the Egyptian government.
Mr. Uribe faces up to 95 years in prison and will forfeit $246,000 that resulted from his wrongdoing.
Sentencing for Mr. Uribe is scheduled for June 14.
