On September 22, 2023, Senator Bob Menendez was indicted on federal bribery charges. Menendez, a Democratic Senator from New Jersey, was accused of accepting bribes from a Florida ophthalmologist in exchange for political favors. The charges were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and include eight counts of bribery, three counts of honest services fraud, one count of conspiracy, and one count of making false statements.

According to the indictment, Menendez allegedly accepted bribes from the ophthalmologist in the form of luxury vacations, private jet flights, and political donations. In exchange, Menendez allegedly used his official position to help the ophthalmologist with a Medicare billing dispute, a visa application for one of his foreign girlfriends, and other matters.

Menendez has denied the charges and vowed to fight them. In a statement, he said, "I am outraged that prosecutors at the Justice Department were tricked into starting this investigation three years ago with false allegations by those who have a political motive to silence me. I am confident that when all the facts are known I will be vindicated."