Trenton, NJ – Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has nearly exhausted the more than $11 million raised for what was originally intended to be his 2024 re-election campaign, with the overwhelming majority of the money going toward legal fees related to his federal criminal cases, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
With that account depleted, Menendez is serving a prison sentence after a judge denied his request to be released during an appeal process. Menendez is still appealing his conviction, but one question remains.
With his campaign account nearing a zero balance, who is paying for another round of court cases and appeals after he spent millions to try to prove his innocence the first time?
About “Gold Bar Bob”
The Menendez case broke open after federal investigators raided the former U.S. Senator’s home and found gold bars and cash stuffed all over the place, in a clear attempt to hide the cash and valuables from the federal government.
Federal prosecutors revealed that former Senator Bob Menendez and his wife stashed more than $480,000 in cash and 13 gold bars in incredibly bizarre locations throughout their New Jersey home.
The most surprising places where investigators found the hoarded riches include:
- Inside Jackets: The FBI found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash stuffed into the pockets of jackets bearing the senator’s name (including “Robert Menendez” and “Senator Menendez”).
- A Timberland Boot: Cash was found crammed inside a Timberland work boot in their closet.
- Paper Bags & Envelopes: Loose cash was stowed away in miscellaneous bags, closets, and envelopes.
- A Duffel Bag: A duffel bag full of cash was discovered in the basement.
- Inside a Closet: The gold bars were kept in a closet, with one bar even found wrapped in a paper towel and shoved inside a Ziploc bag.
The FBI had to bring in two separate cash-counting machines from their Manhattan office just to tally up the physical bills found at the residence.
The latest campaign finance reports show Menendez’s campaign committee had just $7,617 remaining after years of legal expenditures following his 2023 federal indictment on bribery, conspiracy, and foreign agent charges. Menendez resigned from the U.S. Senate in August 2024 after abandoning his re-election campaign and later began serving an 11-year federal prison sentence following his conviction.
Millions paid to law firms during criminal proceedings
Campaign finance records reviewed from FEC.Gov show Menendez for Senate disbursed millions of dollars to several law firms and legal consultants during the criminal proceedings.
Among the largest payments were $3 million to Paul Hastings LLP, $1.45 million to Jones Day, more than $780,000 to Winston & Strawn LLP, hundreds of thousands of dollars to Schertler & Onorato LLP, Coburn & Greenbaum PLLC, Guidepost Solutions, and other firms providing legal and litigation support.
The reports also show an additional $320,000 payment to Cozen O’Connor for appellate legal work on behalf of Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez.
Campaign ended before voters cast ballots
Menendez raised $11,026,706 for his anticipated Senate re-election campaign before federal prosecutors unsealed a sweeping corruption indictment in 2023. His Democratic primary campaign collapsed, and a brief independent bid for another Senate term ended during the summer of 2024.
In addition to legal expenses, campaign filings reflect other expenditures, including more than $25,000 at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Washington, D.C., along with consulting, research, data management, tax payments, and routine campaign operating costs.
Federal campaign finance law generally permits campaign committees to pay legal expenses under certain circumstances, provided the expenditures comply with Federal Election Commission regulations. Menendez also maintained a separate legal defense fund that is not reflected in the campaign committee’s spending totals.
The spending figures are drawn from publicly available Federal Election Commission filings and were first compiled in a report by the New Jersey Globe.
