Internet shreds Bob Menendez as gold bars found in senator's NJ home linked to 2013 armed robbery

ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY: Four of the gold bars found at Senator Bob Menendez's home had been reportedly stolen from the businessman who has been accused of bribing the New Jersey Democrat.

The FBI discovered the gold during a raid of Menendez's Englewood Cliffs home in New Jersey in June 2022.

The serial numbers on some of the gold bars match the identifiers that Fred Daibes reported to the police after a 2013 armed robbery, per the NBC report.

During the robbery, robbers stole $500,000 in cash and 22 gold bars from Daibes' Edgewater home in New Jersey.

However, the police later caught four suspects and recovered the stolen gold.

The matching serial numbers indicate that authorities have now directly linked at least some of the gold found in Menendez's home to Daibes, a New Jersey real estate developer and Menendez’s fundraiser.

What did authorities reveal about the recovered gold bars?

Daibes is accused of bribing the senator in exchange for a variety of benefits, including assistance in interfering with a federal prosecution against him.

During an investigation in 2014 regarding stolen gold, Daibes informed investigators that each gold bar has a unique serial number and is stamped in a distinct way.

He also signed "property release forms" to retrieve the stolen gold, which confirmed that the gold belonged to him.

Senator Menendez, 69, was indicted on federal corruption charges in September for his alleged involvement in a long-standing bribery scheme.

The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York charged Menendez and his wife Nadine, 56, with three counts of conspiracy in connection with a corrupt bribery agreement that benefited the couple, three New Jersey businessmen, and the government of Egypt.

Prosecutors allege that in March 2022, Daibes gave Nadine two gold bars, each weighing a kilogram, which were valued at $60,000 per kilogram at the time.

The indictment also revealed that Daibes' driver's fingerprints were found on an envelope containing thousands of dollars in cash that was recovered from the couple's home.

During the FBI's investigation into the alleged bribery scheme, they discovered 13 gold bars and $566,000 in cash, some of which was found in the pockets of Menendez's jackets.

Menendez has adamantly denied any wrongdoing and has refused to resign from the Senate despite numerous demands from other Democrats to do so.

Menendez and his wife are accused of taking payments from Daibes in exchange for the senator's assistance in shielding the bank fraud suspect from criminal prosecution.

The New Jersey Democrat allegedly aided Daibes by urging President Biden to appoint Philip Sellinger, whom the senator believed would handle the matter lightly, to the position of US Attorney for the District of New Jersey.

Menendez faces up to 45 years in jail if convicted on all charges.

Internet questions Senator Menendez's position of power

People on X shared their dissatisfaction over Senator Bob Menendez continuing to hold a post in the Senate as allegations and evidence surrounding his involvement in unconstitutional activities mount higher with each passing day.

One X user asked, "Why is he still in office?"

Another user stated, "Yep, but that is perfectly fine in our government. Treason, bribery, spying…no issue. Tell the truth though and they will put you in prison."

Another user wrote, "He’s a democrat Nothing ever happens to democrats."

One X user said, "Government is always going to attract corrupt people but its off the rails now."

Another user tweeted, "For some reason I can’t stop laughing. Our government is a joke."

Another user remarked, "Like always, I don't believe much will happen. They circle the wagons and protect those who have dirt on all the others."

One user tweeted, "How is this criminal not in prison yet...."

One user wrote, "But Santos gets expelled. Menendez has been a deviant and a crook for decades."