FILE - Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., waits to speak during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee oversight hearing, Dec. 6, 2023, in Washington. A federal judge on Monday, March 4, 2024, rejected Menendez’s claims that search warrants that led to corruption charges and the discovery of gold bars and cash at his New Jersey home were unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
By Kara Scannell | CNN
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted Tuesday on a dozen new criminal charges related to a years-long bribery scheme involving the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
The new charges come days after one of the New Jersey businessmen who was previously indicted alongside Menendez, his wife Nadine Menendez, and two others agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the investigation.
Among the new charges in the superseding indictment are conspiracy, obstruction of justice, public official acting as a foreign agent, bribery, extortion and honest services wire fraud.
Menendez had faced four counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, and conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent.
The new charges add the underlying so-called substantive crimes to the conspiracy charges.
Menendez has denied any wrongdoing and accused prosecutors of targeting him.
CNN has reached out to Menendez for comment.
This story has been updated with additional details.
Originally published at The Associated Press