April 10 (UPI) — Nadine Menendez, the wife of Sen. Bob Menendez, has asked the court to delay the start of her bribery and obstruction trial due to a medical condition.
In a two-page letter on Tuesday, Nadine Menendez’s lawyers asked Judge Sidney Stein of the Federal District Court in Manhattan for an adjournment of her May 6 trail date over her recent diagnosis of a “serious medical condition” that will require surgery in the next four to six weeks.
The surgery may also be followed by “significant follow-up and recovery treatment,” her attorneys said.
Her specific condition was not revealed, though supporting documentation was included but filed under seal to protect her privacy.
“Given her medical circumstances, Ms. Menendez is not able to assist her counsel in preparing for trial in the next four weeks,” the letter states. “Nor would Ms. Menendez be in a physical or psychological condition to participate in a six-week trial beginning on May 6, 2024.”
The New Jersey Democratic senator and his wife were indicted in September on three bribery charges, with Bob Menendez receiving an additional charge of conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent the following month.
They have been accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes in the form or cash, gold bullion and mortgage payments, among other methods, from three New Jersey businessmen between 2018 and 2022.
The senator has also been charged with acting as a foreign agent of Egypt.
Last month, the couple were charged in an 18-count superseding indictment that includes new obstruction offenses.
They have pleaded not guilty.
The letter on Tuesday asked the court to set a status hearing in eight weeks for Nadine Menendez to provide the court with an update on her medical condition and treatment plan “and a feasible timetable for rescheduling her trial date.”