Sen. Bob Menendez Googled 'how much is one kilo of gold worth' around the time his wife accepted alleged bribes, indictment says

• Sen. Bob Menendez Googled the price of "kilos of gold" during an alleged bribery scheme, an indictment claims.
• Prosecutors allege Menendez secretly benefited the Egyptian government in exchange for "hundreds of thousands in bribes."

Sen. Bob Menendez Googled the price of kilos of gold multiple times amid an alleged bribery scheme, according to a criminal indictment of the Democrat who leads the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"The next day, MENENDEZ performed a web search for 'how much is one kilo of gold worth,'" the indictment claims of an October 2021 action the senator took.

Google Trends showed that searches for "kilo of gold" spiked after the indictment was unsealed. Prosecutors later found gold bars during a search of the couple's home.

According to prosecutors, the New Jersey Democrat conducted his web search after he and his wife returned from a trip to Egypt. A driver for Fred Daibes, a New Jersey businessman and longtime Menendez associate, picked up the couple from the airport. According to prosecutors, Daibes and two other associates helped pay "hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes" in exchange for the senator using his power to secretly benefit the Egyptian government. The indictment further alleges that Menendez sought to influence an ongoing federal prosecution of Daibes.

The indictment claims that gold bars were part of the hundreds of thousands in bribes the couple accepted. The senator also searched for the price of gold at least one other time. The indictment says Menendez Googled the price shortly after his wife thanked Daibes driver for "Christmas in January." Prosecutors said the driver's DNA was found on envelopes of cash found in the Menendezes' home.

Menendez previously amended his Senate financial disclosure reports to report that Nadine Menendez, his wife, had gold bars worth as much as $250,000 in 2020, The New York Times reported. Nadine Menendez had faced foreclosure in July 2019. The indictment claims that Will Hana, another of the New Jersey businessmen allegedly involved in the scheme, paid $23,000 to bring Nadine Menendez's mortgage current.

The senator's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. His most recent financial disclosure shows his wife continued to have up to $250,000 in gold bars. It also shows sales of gold throughout 2022 that netted at least $200,000. Senators are only required to report broad ranges of most assets they and their spouses hold.