Robert Menendez and his wife are charged with obstruction of justice

Senator Robert Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were charged with obstruction of justice in a new federal indictment on Tuesday, adding to the extensive bribery and corruption allegations they already face.

The indictment, handed down by a Manhattan grand jury, comes just two months before Mr. Menendez, Ms. Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen are scheduled to go to trial.

All four defendants had pleaded not guilty to the previous charges and are expected to appear soon for an arraignment on the new charges.

The indictment comes just days after a fifth defendant, Jose Uribe, a New Jersey businessman, pleaded guilty to seven charges, including obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit bribery, and agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation .

The 70-year-old Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, was charged in September with accepting bribes, including cash, gold bars and a luxury Mercedes-Benz, in exchange for lucrative political favors and what prosecutors described as attempts to stem criminal investigations. to derail.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan previously expanded the charges by filing revised charges.

In October, Mr. Menendez was additionally charged with conspiring to act as an agent of Egypt while chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And in January, prosecutors said he used his power to help the government of Qatar, a small Gulf state and major natural gas exporter that was hosting the 2022 World Cup.

This is a developing story and will be updated.