Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey — already accused of using his political influence to benefit Egypt — was newly charged on Tuesday with using his power to help the government of Qatar.
Mr. Menendez, 70, was charged by federal prosecutors with accepting bribes from Fred Daibes, a prominent New Jersey developer, in exchange for the senator’s help securing financial backing from an investment fund with ties to the Qatari government.
“When he accepted at least certain of those things of value,” prosecutors wrote, Mr. Daibes “also expected Menendez in exchange to take action to benefit the government of Qatar, and thereby benefit Daibes, who was seeking millions of dollars in investment from a fund with ties to the government of Qatar.”
Lawyers for Mr. Menendez and Mr. Daibes could not be immediately reached for comment.
The new indictment broadens the government’s allegations that Mr. Menendez, even as he served as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, used his official position to convey benefits to foreign governments in return for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.
In October, prosecutors accused Mr. Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, and another defendant, Wael Hana, of conspiring to have the senator work on behalf of the Egyptian government without registering with the Justice Department.
Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, and his four co-defendants have all pleaded not guilty. They are all scheduled for trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan in May.
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