A new detail about the case of Senator Bob Menendez came to light this week. It was reported that the Democrat allegedly accepted a Mercedes valued at $60,000 as a bribe because he needed a vehicle after a 2018 car accident involving his now wife, Nadine Menendez, resulted in the death of a person identified as Richard Koop, 49.

According to report by The New York Times, the senator agreed to try to suppress an unrelated criminal case for a New Jersey businessman in exchange for the car. "The revelation helps fill in an important narrative gap around one of the most blatant bribes alleged in a 39-page federal indictment unveiled last month against Ms. Menendez, her powerful husband and three businessmen," the NYT explained.

According to the report, Menendez needed a car so badly after the accident in December 2018 that the Democrat was willing to help the New Jersey businessman avoid prosecution in exchange for a Mercedes. "The fatal collision with Mr. Koop on Dec. 12 matches prosecutors’ terse description of the December 2018 crash," noted The New York Times.

Likewise, the report detailed that irregularities were also found in authorities' response to the accident that occurred in 2018. For example, police reports reviewed by NYT indicate that Nadine Menendez was never tested for drugs or alcohol and was allowed to leave the scene shortly before Koop was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

"The family really has had serious concerns over what we felt was a very sparse, one-sided investigation," explained Koop's sister, Rosemarie Koop-Angelicola.

The accusations against Bob Menendez

Two weeks ago, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were formally indicted on federal bribery charges. The decision, according to prosecutors, followed a year-long investigation by Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams into alleged corruption.

The three-count indictment, which also involves his wife, is for allegedly using his official position in a series of corruption cases not only in the U.S. but also abroad. The Democrat is accused of receiving bribes in exchange for helping several businessmen successfully emerge from investigations against them. The bribes included cash, gold, mortgage payments on a home and the luxury vehicle.