Sen. Bob Menendez raised nearly $189,000 from real estate developers, property management companies and individuals across five states, and spent nearly all of it during the first three months of 2024 to help fund his legal expenses related to federal bribery charges he and his wife face.
This is the least he has raised in a quarter since setting up the fund last July.
Ten donors gave Menendez the yearly maximum of $10,000 for his legal defense fund, according to an IRS filing made public Monday. They include:
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KRE Property Management Company — which also donated $10,000 last year — run by Jonathan Kushner, a cousin of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.
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Lenox Real Estate Partners LLC, which has an Englewood Cliffs post office box and lists Moshael Straus as its authorized representative on incorporation documents.
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MIB Holdings LLC, which shares a Hoboken address with Ironstate Development Company and Applied Development Company.
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Bejtra LLC, a real estate company with Benjamin Chouake listed as the registered agent.
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Menendez’s leadership PAC, called New Millennium PAC.
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Individuals who wrote $10,000 include David Barry, president of Ironstate Development Company and founder and CEO of the real estate platform Urby LLC; his wife, Kyra Barry of Applied Property Management; Jennifer Barry, who is listed as a Short Hills-based homemaker; Dennis Mehiel of real estate investor Four M Investments LLC; and Howard Jonas, founder of the multinational cloud communications provider IDT. Brothers and co-owners David and Michael Barry also wrote $10,000 checks last year.
Menendez raised $188,925 from January through March 2024, bringing the total his legal defense fund has raised to $658,425 since it was formed. His previous account — formed when he was accused of accepting bribes in exchange for promoting the interests of a longtime friend, Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen — raised more than $5.1 million between early 2014 and the end of 2018.
More: Menendez raised additional $195K for defense fund. See who made contributions
More: Bob Menendez has raised nearly $275K to fight federal corruption charges, report says
The current fund spent $172,555 in the first quarter, including $100,000 to Jones Day for legal services, $35,000 to HaystackID for data consulting services, $15,000 to Guidepost Solutions LLC for “technology consulting services,” $9,000 to GLH Consulting and Samantha Maltzman for fundraising expenses, $4,400 to Riley, Welch, LaPorte & Associates for document review, and $4,200 to forensic psychiatrist Karen Rosenbaum for “expert witness.”
A legal expense fund allows the creator to accept private donations to cover certain legal expenses, and it is separate from a campaign account. Menendez’s campaign fund raised around $1,000 from donors from January through March and spent more than $600,000 during that same period.
His campaign paid $150,000 to trial consulting company DOAR Inc. for legal expenses, as well as $100,000 to Jones Day and $300,000 to Schertler & Onorato LLP.
Other donors to Menendez’s expense fund include $5,000 each from doctor and former West New York mayor Felix Roque; Tom Heimgartner, owner of Best Transportation LLC; Ramon Tallaj, chairman of the board at Corinthian Medical IPA and performance provider system Somos; and Alexandro Damiron, executive vice president at Somos. The filing also lists $1,000 donations from Rumba of Clifton LLC, Rumba of Jersey City Downtown LLC and Rumba of Pine Brook LLC. Rumba Cubana is a Cuban restaurant with locations in Clifton and Jersey City.
According to Reuters, Chief Judge Margaret Bartley last week dismissed a complaint brought by judicial watchdog group Fix the Court about a $10,000 donation made to Menendez’s legal defense fund by Betty Greenberg, the wife of Judge William Greenberg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Fix the Court argued that it was a violation of judges’ code of conduct, because President Barack Obama nominated Greenberg after Menendez recommended him.
Bartley, the chief judge of Greenberg’s court, wrote that an inquiry found that Betty Greenberg made the donation from a checking account that her husband did not control, and that he did not influence her decision to make the donation.
To view a full list of donors, view the chart below:
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bob Menendez raised $189K for legal defense so far in 2024
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