A New Jersey businessman pleaded guilty Friday to trying to bribe Sen. Bob Menendez after signing a cooperation deal with prosecutors. Jose Uribe entered the plea in Manhattan federal court to seven charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and tax evasion. Prosecutors allege that he gave Menendez's wife a Mercedes-Benz, the AP reports. According to a plea agreement, Uribe could face up to 95 years in prison, though he can win leniency by cooperating and testifying against the other defendants, which he's agreed to do.
Uribe was among three businessmen charged in the corruption case against the New Jersey Democrat and his wife, Nadine. Authorities say Menendez and his wife accepted bribes of cash, gold bars, and the luxury car in exchange for the senator's help and influence over foreign affairs. The defendants have pleaded not guilty. Uribe had been charged with providing Menendez's wife with a Mercedes-Benz convertible after the senator called a government official about another case involving an associate of Uribe. The senator and his wife, along with two other businessmen, are scheduled to go on trial in May.
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