Jose Uribe, front, toasts Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine at one of several dinners he and his friends treated the couple to during what prosecutors say was a wide-ranging bribery scheme that started in 2018. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York)
Attorneys for a failed insurance broker who testified that he bribed former Sen. Bob Menendez are asking a federal court for a lenient sentence, arguing their client was instrumental in securing the senator’s corruption conviction.
They said Jose Uribe, who gave the senator’s wife a Mercedes-Benz in exchange for Menendez’s intercession in a state insurance fraud case against a friend, testified despite fears of harassment and intimidation, and that his role in the trial justified a non-custodial sentence.
“Jose has learned the hardest of lessons by accepting responsibility for his crimes and by doing one of the most difficult, scary and grueling things imaginable — cooperating and being the government’s star witness in a historic, ultra-high-profile trial of one of the most powerful politicians at that time in America,” Uribe’s attorneys said in a court filing.
Uribe is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 9.
Uribe in March 2024 pleaded guilty to seven counts of bribery, obstruction, wire fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy as part of an agreement to exchange his testimony for prosecutors’ recommendation of a lenient sentence. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 95 years behind bars.
He served as a star witness during the Menendez prosecution, testifying for two days on how he bribed the senator.
Uribe’s attorneys said he faced risks testifying against Menendez, who was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when charged.
They said two men stopped his ex-wife outside a bank in April 2024 before being scared away by a bank clerk, and that a “strange man” appeared unannounced and uninvited in Uribe’s office to arrange a meeting with Nadine Menendez, the senator’s wife, so the two could agree on a lie about why Uribe was making her car payments.
“In this case, he was only delivering a message … however, in that harrowing moment, Jose realized that if — instead of wanting to avoid prosecution by making up a false story — someone had wanted to silence him through violence, he was vulnerable,” Uribe’s attorneys said.
Nadine Menendez was also convicted as part of the bribery scheme, and earlier this month was sentenced to nearly five years in prison. Bob Menendez is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence.
Uribe’s testimony also helped lead to convictions for co-defendants Wael Hana, a halal meat exporter, and real estate developer Fred Daibes.
Along with the sentencing memo, Uribe’s attorneys submitted numerous letters from friends, colleagues, and family members who urged leniency.
Osvaldo Lopez, a longtime friend, said Uribe housed him and his family in an Elizabeth apartment after Lopez immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 2002.
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had only recently met Jose — he barely knew me — yet he was doing something truly generous and life-changing for me and my family. That moment told me everything I needed to know about the kind of man he is, someone who helps others without hesitation and never expects anything in return,” Lopez said.
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