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New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to latest criminal indictment

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New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to latest criminal indictment


U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife pleaded not guilty on Monday to new obstruction of justice charges recently added to a broad corruption indictment threatening the Democrat’s re-election chances.

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“Once again, not guilty your honor,” Menendez responded after Judge Sidney H. Stein asked him to enter a plea at a 20-minute hearing at a federal court in Manhattan. Menendez had previously pleaded not guilty to other charges in October.

Menendez and his wife, Nadine, left the courthouse without speaking to reporters. Menendez ignored a shouted question about whether he intends to run for re-election.

The couple is charged with taking bribes of gold bars, cash and a luxury car in return for the senator’s help in projects pursued by three New Jersey businessmen. Prosecutors say that in return for the loot, Menendez helped one of the men get a lucrative meat-certification deal with Egypt — and in doing so took actions favorable to the Egyptian government. An indictment said Menendez helped another associate get a deal with a Qatari investment fund.

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Two of the three businessmen accused of bribing Menendez also entered not guilty pleas on Monday. A third, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty two weeks ago to bribery charges and agreed to testify against the others at a trial set for May 6.

After his fall arrest, Menendez, 70, was forced to relinquish his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but said he would not resign from Congress.

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If Menendez does choose to seek re-election, he’ll likely have to face two other strong Democratic contenders in a June 4 primary: U.S. Rep. Andy Kim and Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey’s governor.

The new allegations — part of what is now an 18-count indictment — are related to what prosecutors say were efforts to cover up the illegal bribes.

One of those gifts included a Mercedes-Benz convertible that Uribe says he bought for Nadine Menendez because her husband had been trying to use his influence to squash two criminal investigations into people close to him.

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It said Nadine Menendez caused her lawyer to tell prosecutors last August that the money for the car was a loan, when she knew it was a bribe.

Bob Menendez says prosecutors have it wrong, and that the money for the car — and a separate $23,000 payment from another associate that helped Nadine Menendez pay her mortgage, were just loans.

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Prosecutors have “long known that I learned of and helped repay loans — not bribes — that had been provided to my wife,” he said in a statement last week.



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Today in History: July 12, riot erupts in New Jersey over police beating of Black taxi driver

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Today in History: July 12, riot erupts in New Jersey over police beating of Black taxi driver


Today is Sunday, July 12, the 193rd day of 2026. There are 172 days left in the year.

Today in History:

On July 12, 1967, rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey, over the police beating of a Black taxi driver; 26 people were killed in the five days of violence that followed.

Also on this date:

In 1543, England’s King Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr.



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Ex-NJ GOP aide accused of staging slashing attack shows off horrific scars — and mystery man — in new snap

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Ex-NJ GOP aide accused of staging slashing attack shows off horrific scars — and mystery man — in new snap


The unhinged ex-GOP aide who claimed she had been viciously attacked and labeled “Trump whore” — but who authorities say staged the assault and hired a fetish artist to carve her up — showed off her jaw-dropping scars in a new photo, along with a heavily-tattooed mystery man. 

Natalie Greene, the Ocean City, NJ woman accused of faking a gruesome politically-driven assault while working for Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew, shared a glimpse into her life for the first time since the scandal broke nearly a year ago.

The 26-year-old updated her Facebook profile picture on the Fourth of July to a smiling selfie of herself and the new pal.

Natalie Greene updated her Facebook profile photo on July 4. FaceBook / Natalie Greene

She wore a knitted tank top – exposing multiple thick, pink scars across her shoulder, chest and neck. 

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Her dark hair was slicked back into a low ponytail, and her manicured hand covered her mouth as she laughed. 

A man wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap with tattoos up his neck and arm smiled next to her. 

Greene, a Masarati-driving ex-Rutgers Law student, was charged with conspiracy to falsely report a violent attack and giving false statements to law enforcement after claiming she was repeatedly slashed by three masked gunmen in a local park because she worked for Van Drew, a pol who had switched from Democrat to Republican in 2020.

Greene was found after the allegedly staged attack with “Trump whore” written on her stomach. U.S. Attorney’s Office

Authorities found Greene on the ground with her hands and ankles zip-tied on a trail at a nature preserve in Egg Harbor Township on the night of July 23, 2025. She had dozens of bloody surgical-like slashes across her back, shoulder, chest and face. The words “Trump whore” were written across her stomach in black marker. 

But the attack was nothing but a hoax, according to the Department of Justice, which said Greene hired a Pennsylvania-based “scarification” fetish artist to cut her up. Detectives even discovered a reference photo that Greene showed the artist – and her cuts matched the image exactly, investigators said. 

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Greene had her arms and ankles zip tied when she was found. U.S. Attorney’s Office

Greene was granted supervised release in January as she awaits trial.

Childhood campmate Kristin Haughton James —  who was previously busted for cocaine possession and riding an unlicensed vehicle in the streets, a Camden court heard in January — welcomed her into her Florida home and has been acting as her custodian. 

Before moving in with Haughton James, Greene had already cycled through two other guardians – including her mother – and had been ordered to attend inpatient treatment. 

Greene was a law student when the scandal broke out. Instagram / Natalie Greene

But the arraignment quickly descended into a nightmare, Haughton James revealed. 

“I have never met chaos incarnate until I met this person,” she told NJ.com. “Lives for the drama – wants everything to be about her.

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“She just feeds off attention.”

She claimed Greene left her home a wreck, tried to get her evicted and falsely told cops that she was dealing drugs and threatened her with a gun. 

Haughton James said she kicked her out in March. It is unclear where Greene is currently living.

Haughton James, Greene and Greene’s attorney did not return messages seeking comment.

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Husband of slain New Jersey mom begs for help in newly released 911 call | Fox News Video

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Husband of slain New Jersey mom begs for help in newly released 911 call | Fox News Video


Former homicide detective Brian Foley provides expert insights into the newly released 911 call from Conor Hanlon, whose wife, New Jersey therapist Brooke Hanlon, was found stabbed to death. Foley analyzes the husband’s emotional state and the police’s approach, noting the case’s ‘suspicious’ designation 13 minutes into the call.



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