Creepy Primer Impacto Stories and the Scamming Case of Bob Menendez

Hi, this is Christina and a Carmen and this is another episode of Spooky Tells, the podcast for all things as spooky true crime related to Latin America. And today we have some spooky stories straight from pre met IMPACTO. I'm gonna put new sounds in her and a Cuban crime regarding the menandees, but not those ones a different pair of menanez. Yes, we'll get into it. Okay, okay, menan. This is that I didn't know existed, but like maybe we all should have honestly interesting anyway. Before all that, we do have a listener story. And if you want to send us your stories, you can email as pookitos a gmail dot com. You can dm us on any socials. You can call it a Spooky hotline. You can submit it on Discord. There's so many ways to get us your stories. We love receiving them. All right, all right, This listener's story is from Aliyah. Hi. I really love your videos and I hope you have time to read my story and share it on your page. This happened back in January twenty twelve. My sister was about seven and I was five. My great grandmother passed away just a week ago. She was possessed by spirits whoa okay, yeah, and what not her being possessed at the time of her death. Yeah, that doesn't sound good. She was possessed by spirits fewer Muslim and few non Muslims too. Whenever she would get possessed, she would start speaking in different languages. She was an old Pashtuna woman who could only speak Pashto, but when possessed, she speak Arabic, Urdu, Farsi and English multilingual. And why was I going to say the same thing? Multilingual demon her spirit? I don't know his demon? Okay? Anyway, she was very little and tiny, but her soul got so powerful. Even if she was held by fore men, they wouldn't be able to hold her down. Strong independent women love to see it. So we had some relatives visiting us to give their condolencence and respect. They asked my grandmother to come with them to visit our cousins. They lived right next to us, almost five minutes away. Since my grandmother was old, they told her to sit in the car to make it easier for her, and me and my sister tagged along with her to accompany her. When we were coming back. In between our houses there was a gutter, and because of the water there, it had grown out trees and bushes so long they almost looked like a tiny forest. We would either run through that forest because it was quicker to get to our home, or we would have to walk the long way. I decided to run through it, or could reach our house before my sister. My sister kept calling me from behind and telling me to stop so we could go together. She was already halfway there, so she ran as fast as she could to reach our house. Just when she came out of the trees, she saw that I was standing behind her car, a short girl with a bob cut. She thought I was playing hide and seek with her, so she told me, it's not funny. I saw you come out. I didn't say anything and started running around the car, and she started chasing me. She ran a few laps around the car when all of a sudden, quote, I stopped. So, yeah, it's what we thought. Who is this? The fuck is this? My sister said that when I turned around, it was not my face but instead my dead great grandmother's old, wrinkly face, smiling at her creepily. Oh no, then, quote I started approaching my sister. So my sister got scared and wanted to run away, but felt like her legs wouldn't move so fast and as if they have a heavyweight on them, so she felt like she couldn't move. She did her best to get inside her house, and when she did, she saw me already in the house playing and then she fainted. Fuck, oh my god, and was sick for a few weeks. What was that? Oh my god, No, that is so scary. Who was she playing with? Was that bitch? What? What that? Oh? With the great grandmother's face? Oh my god, that's terrifying. No, that was scary. I would have passed out also, No wonder, no wonder she was sick for weeks. I would have killed myself. No, but that's seriously horrifye it truly is terrifying. I'm like, what the hell is that? What was it trying to accomplish? That's scary? I couldn't say. But wow, I can't, I can't. The story had it all, really it did? Huh. I started with the possessed great grandmother and ended with the possessed great grandmother, but so many things happened in between. Yeah. Wow, seriously creepy. Thanks so much for sending your story in. I don't know if I can recover from this. Yeah, that was scary, But why didn't you tell us less scary things from permitting PACTO? Because I don't think can get scarier than this. Yeah, why don't we get into something so unseerious I've been metting pacto? Yeah, does it get more and serious implement impact though? I don't think so. Okay, So I think we all know what premade IMPACTO is and have most likely already been traumatized by their stories at some point. But just in case, here is some background. The tabloid style news show first launched on Univision in nineteen eighty four. I thought it was a real news show for the longest time. I guess when I was younger, I did too. I didn't know it was like a tabloid style right, Yeah, like I didn't know it was a joke to not be taken seriously. To be fair, there was a nostrolger on the on the rolls, on the paperwork. I thought that was normal. I just I thought the news like credible. Yeah, okay, I was a kid again. True, Well, I'm not talking about like last year. I'm talking about like ten years ago. I was a baby. Okay, that's just shocking because you're still a baby, you're right, Yeah, I am just a thirty year old baby. Yeah, okay. So yeah. So since then, well known journalists like Mirka Dejanos, Maria sa Leste Araras, Fernando Decon anyway, and Buzo. That's why I remember the most have hosted it. I remember the first one, you said, Oh, I just remember. I think because her name, you know, has to read to it because of the alliteration. It's true. The first thame I said was Medkas Yes, okay, that's yeah, her and the one after I remember the most. And I thought they were like legit journalists. So that's another thing that I didn't my really believing this was a legit news station. Maybe some of them, I can be alone. I don't know. They were actual like journals. Oh that's what you're saying. So because they were like actual legitimate journalists, he thought IMPACTO was like legitimate legit journalism. I mean, they have a moment, right, it couldn't have all been unseerious, right, I just don't I don't know I don't. I don't. Did they Okay, well get it doesn't matter anyway, it doesn't matter. Premi Impacto also featured Walter Mercado, who we all miss in love r I P. He provided astrology halfway through the episodes for a long time and just hearing it it was so epic. He did it in such a soothing, beautiful voice, majestic voice. Yeah, yeah, we should play a clip here, Yes, I wanted. I didn't prepare one, but I'll find one. Okay. It was the thing he always said, I guess I'll be in the clip. Does matter? There is the thing he always says, Yeah, isn't it Should we just look at it like this with his hands right? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, how did we forget that? Really? Literally what he said? Oh yeah, Libro is anmos. Another mass, another man of soul entrying Sahi Leo Meles. I thought, samanas your pieces, it's moment the soul, and I will expect to it to be there. He was like so dramatic with it, just like yeah the sun, and it was yeah, yeah beautiful. There will never be another like him. I don't think so. No, so premeding back, don't try to sell itself as a hard hitting news program meant to be taken seriously, but ever since day one, the show covered things like UFOs, Cryptotitans, ship like that, and uh yeah, not that serious. Even then, it did gain a reputation as a serious news program. Many who have watched it have fallen victim to their stories and took it too seriously, including me. Yeah, well, yeah, I did think that Chaka was Yeah. Also I did think that he was going to come out through the backyard and like come eat meat or something. And they were the ones that spread about like Harry Potter being demonic and shit like that, weren't they, I'm pretty sure. Yeah. By then I didn't believe it anymore. You were like, not my Harry Potter, Yeah, not my Pokemon because those Pokemon cards too, right right. It was everything that we liked. They ruined everything. Yeah, yeah, the song huh yeah. Okay, Anyway, a lot of people believe the shit they peddled, and they were scared, you could say. So here's some of some of the stories they shared on Brimanto the Chu first human victim. Okay, I believed it, every bit of it. Well, you might have been too young, but in nineteen ninety six. Oh yeah, no, I remember it. No, he shut up and teenninety six to show ran a segment about a man who was killed by chipacabras in the south of Guatemala. The reporter, Sessa Gaitan, told the story of manuel Le Keesu's Francisco terrifying death. Everyone was scared of him, but no one imagined when and where it would happen. But nevertheless, this man seems to have been the first human victim who died because of the chupacabras. I can imagine saying that for real, this just in, just in the a serial killer. Gaitan reported that the victim was lasting returning home after grabbing a feed drinks. The reporter interviewed Ector Danielle Sosa, a volunteer fire firefighter in the region, who said the victim was found the marks on his neck and a damaged ear. We proceeded to turn him around and to see his face completely destroyed. It was very impactful, the volunteer firefighter told the reporter. Scary. Yeah. The segment also featured an interview with a local judge who backed Sosa's claims that marks found on the neck not a judge. The segment then showed an alleged witness who said he saw a strange dog looking animal hovering over the body. The victim's brother was also interviewed, but unlike the local town people, he didn't believe that chubukatas did it. He believed more saturn. He believed his brother was robbed and killed during the attack. Yeah, and honestly probably Yeah. Yet the show ends with the segment and with the following statement. Nevertheless, others think differently and believe there's something rare about this death because, just like previously reported Chubukata attacks, the cause has been hard to explain by science. Only time will have the answer. But until that time comes, the town of San Antonio suschite Peke will not be able to rest in peace. Imagine. Okay, so like the brothers, like I think he was, I'd be pissed killed and then comes in the anchor not actually it was chupacabras. And no matter what the brother says, everyone is scared of the chip in the town. Such, No, that was wrong? Such, No didn't I say? No? That was right? Yeah? No you did. I don't know now, Succi tip I can, but Yeah, I would pissed if I was the brother. Me too, Me too. This one I remember also because it's been repeated over and over again in different different times. The next story, Yes, the next story we're going to talk about is the Virgin Mary statue crying blood. You remember that, right, classic of course? Yeah, and I believe it. Oh, this was reported just nine years ago, not a long time ago. I was still a baby and so very global. Yeah, the show reported on a statue the Virgin Mary in Mexico. You know what, That's probably why we remember it more because we're like, oh my god. Yeah, I think that's why I always as many of you know, that's where our family live. So one thing we will not stop talking about is how our family's from there. Yes, and so yeah, they said there was a Virgin Mary statue and Guada Kada crying blood and warning people of evil and violent events to come. Actually, do you remember this? The story was told by the reporter at CDI Cardenas. According to the report, the Virgin of Fatima had allegedly been crying blood for four months since the owner Judas purchased it in December. Tebeta. Das told Cardinas he placed the statue in his living room and only allows people to come at night to view it and pray the Rosary. She began to manifest tears little by little, so we had to wipe them off with cotton balls. But the manifestation was so much, so she began to bleed more and we had to put her in a case. That's what he said. Interesting, the owner told, remating back to he previously owned religious paintings that bled, but he handed them over to the archbishop of La Da Kara. Okay, are they in the cathedral? We should look for them. We are going to go there soon, we are. In addition to the bleeding, the owner claims the bleeding statue had revealed some bad prophecies that would happen soon. In this month of August. Some difficult stuff will come. You know, if I had to pretend that I was going to do a prophecy, this is what my prophecy would be. It's so generic, like, yes, some difficult stuff will come. That could mean anything. Of course that's going to come true. Yeah. And when I trip while holding that could be the difficult stuff. Or I'm going to be like, oh my god, my life I have faced too many difficulties. Yeah, and those are the difficulties that I would have warned you about in my prophecy, because you can't be too specific or too no. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's just the right amount where yeah, anyone could be like, oh my god, it did happen. Yeah. Finally, Soada claims he won't hand the statue over to the local archbishop because previously they had failed to keep him updated on the item's authenticity. I guess they never authenticated his portraits, paintings, paintings. I guess he still has it. Maybe, I don't know. Interesting he would start charging people. So. The next story is a UFO travel route in lais La Bonita, Puerto Rico. A segment aired by Premitting Pacto in twenty twelve claims that a group of uthologists have found a part of the route UFOs used when visiting Earth journalists. Kiki Garcia Montes spoke to a group of locals who frequent Lajas, Puerto Rico, and claimed this town is part of an extraterrestrial route. There is a ton of UFO sigis in Puerto Rico. I mean it could be true, then I believe in this one. I believe. Yeah, this is just some hard hitting journalism. They're letting themselves be seen more and more on this route. There's something they want from us, Renaldo Rios told Garcia Montes. Renaldo Rios claims he has been channeling messages from UFO for decades and they led him to Lakas. I was supposed to stay crippled. I then saw three lights passed by my room that turned into small luminous entities. They cured my back and told me I came to this world to introduce them and prepare their past. He said, well, that's very nice of them to cure him. Yeah, they should if we're going to be bothering him to like, if they expected to watch for them. Yeah, that's the least they could do. Pay him. Pay the man, I agree. Francisco al Mora, who owns the mountain the group of UFO believers visits. He owns the mountain. Interesting, yes, anyway, He says that the group made him a believer. He said, I'm not a big fan, but to be honest, I've seen it. I have to see it to believe it. The government has asked me for permission to put something there too, maybe like a like a watch tower or something to watch the ufo and Mota told Premium Bacto UFOs constantly fly over his land and said he last saw one two days before speaking with the reporter. Another local believer, Sharon Flores or Shadow I guess, told the reporter that means from another universe, told her there are two rocks in a nearby mountain that will be vital during a catastrophe that said to happen another generic prophecy. Yeah, I need them to say what day. Oh wait, it does get more specific. Hold on shit. Okay, whoop, I'm judging too soon. Okay. Sharon went out to say, those are the rocks that are going to give water to the people because all of the other water is going to be contaminated. I believe it. I don't need any further proof. Another Garcia and addition says extra terrestrials have performed surgery on her without any tools. They did cure the other guy too, So yeah, they put their hand in here, turned everything around, and then they took their hand out for a bit, and then they put it in again and strengthened everything. And then they came across my ribs and strengthened that too. Oh no, I had to fight the urge to say that. She said, Okay, interesting technique. There On the night, on the night that I got to say, im on desk joined the group, they only observed a small light in the sky, but the group still believes that full proof evidence of life another planet will eventually be found in the sky over la As. If it's fine anywhere, it's gonna be Puerto Rico. Like there's so many signings there, and I've heard Lahas before and I can't remember if this is the same region as El Yunke or if it's somewhere else, because again I don't know the geography in Porto Rico, but there's a lot of signings in this like forest area Yunke. So yeah, that I for sure believe, and that was it is that that was okay? Yeah. I remember the Chupacras because I've come across it time and time again later and I remember. And also that's not the first time. I feel like they were always talking about the rash. Yeah, but like the Chupa Lechusac came up a few times encountering one ufo. So yeah, I recall these stories. But I definitely believe some of them. I don't remember like really believing them, but I do remember hearing the tier one there were Germ Mary tier one. Yeah, more than one. Let us know, yeah, let us know what permitting back to the stories and you remember, but hard hitting permitting back to the stories impacted you. And if you feel personally victimized by permitting pact, all right, And I guess we'll take a little on break here and return with my behalf of the episode. And we're back. And like I said at the top, this has to do. It's a Cuban crime case and it involves the men and this is but not the men in this says that we know that are also Cuban. Did you know that about them? I think I did. I'm leaving that case for another day. I still want to one day, but again, it's a lot anyway. No, it doesn't involve murder, but it does involve a scamming Latino US senator Okay, Bob mean and this, And after I typed all this, I'm like, oh, man, I hope this isn'tn't like two boring. Oh I love a good scam. So and by the end of it, I was like, was this even a good scam? I don't know, but let's well, I guess we'll find out. It's tuly now. So Bob or Robert aka Bob mean and This was born January first, Netey four in New York City to Cuban immigrant parents, marioman in This and Evangelina mean in This. They fled Cuba just a few months before Robert was born in New York City in the US. He Mario Menandez became a carpenter and Evan Quellina became a seamstress. That's what they did. But they left New York City for New Jersey. That's where Bob Menandez was born in not born, story raised, That's where he was raised. I was like, he was already born. That's where he was born and raised spreading misinformation all right. He went to Union Hill High School, where he developed a love for public speaking. And naturally, I feel like if you're if you love public speaking, you're only going to do one of two things. Your podcast. Oh yeah, I mean, and I think diabolical falls into that. You're gonna start podcast, You're going to become an actor actress, or you're going to become a politician. Yeah, that's my theory, because I got an A in public spe I'm really good. I hate public speaking. I think I got I got an A also, but I didn't enjoy not one minute of it. Okay I did. Oh, I couldnot stand it. Put me in front of well that's why I didn't want to do anything live in the panel either. So that's true. You didn't want to and then you left for pain. You didn't get back. And then I told him, I told you not to tell anybody else ping, and then he told everybody, and I was like, if I can binge, yeah, yep, anyway, So yeah, you're going to do one of three things if you love public speaking, become a dictator anyway. So yeah, he loved public speaking and he developed like he just developed that skill with the help of his speech teacher, Gail Harper. He later told his mama, and I'm sorry I wrote that and I regretted it. Sorry. He later told his mom that miss Harper helped him understand the power of education and what it means to put a premium on learning and working hard. So those Latino ideals are already like a great rain, you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah, he became a student body president politics. He was clearly a bright student, but he did have very tough times too. His father, Mariumanendez, was a gambling addict and he died by suicide after not being able to pay some of his debts. So, oh that's rough, Yeah it is. Yeah. Despite that, though, Bob men and this was the first in the family to go to college. He attended Saint Peter's College in Jersey City. He graduated with his BA in political science. And then I don't know what this is juris doctor degree a lawyer full Oh thanks, I like I said, I'm a dumb bitch. I don't have a degree like you. That's try new okay, from Rutgers Law School in nineteen seventy nine. It's like, that's a degree. And then you had to pass the bar to be like actual I think practicing Yes, yeah, okay, and does all makes sense? Then he took the bar and passed it in nineteen eighty and became a lawyer in a private practice. But between all that he made time for politics. I thought you were going to say he made time for scams. No, no, no, I don't think the scamming started yet. So he was an aide to William V. Musto, Union City mayor turned state senator. Bob was doing this in high school. That's when he started. That's when he became an aid to the mayor. To be doing that kind of job, isn't it. I don't know. It almost sounds I llegal to me, But whatever, Maybe I don't know team that's like that. Maybe well this was earlier. I don't know when those age limit playes. Yeah. So, yeah, he was doing this in high school. And when he couldn't afford his ap classics books, he worked with the mayor to reform the education board to get those textbooks for kind of high schooler is this? And yeah, those books should have been provided. Well yeah, but that's how you could tell the type of person. He was driven smart. I mean, I'm rooting for him now. I don't know how we feel later, right, I feel like we're on scam Goddess. I'm sorry, Oh, well, that's what we are today. So he was elected to the Union City Board of Education in nineteen seventy four, becoming the youngest candidate ever to hold that position. Wow, I'm sorry, I feel like also, I'm getting red flags for all of this because every time, like on Behind the Bastards and also on Scam Goddess, when they bring up someone like this, they're like, if you're a child, then you enjoy urging. He sorry, yeah, like that's a red flag. I mean he was twenty when he did this, but like it's always like little things like that, like, oh, this is the youngest person to do this, and I'm like, it's it is so okay. I'll just just want to put that out there, just not saying it has to be a red flag, but Loki kind of is, yeah, no, kind of agree there. So he also tried running against William Musto, his mentor, for mayor, but he lost in nineteen eighty two. Between nineteen eighty seven and nineteen ninety two, he did win the election to represent New Jersey's thirty third district in the General Assembly. In March nineteen ninety one, he moved from the Assembly to the New Jersey State Senate because the previous senator died and he won that sudden emergency election and he became the Senator. And then in nineteen ninety two there was some redistricting, and so when this happened, the thirteenth district became a majority Latino district and Bob mean in this decided to run in the primary for Ooh, was this for the Senate? I didn't write it down for something, and he did defeat Oh yeah, it is for the Senate. Defeat Robert Haney sixty eight percent to thirty two percent. That's kind of a lot. Yeah, And so, I mean, I could go on about his political careers, but like he won a lot, and let didn't want a bar anyone with details about this is all just to get a sense of his like his career, his career, his ambition before the crimeing corruptions, the red flags. Yeah. So during throughout his time in the Senate, he tended to vote like Republicans when it came to foreign affairs. Most senators do, though, Like it's a rare number that don't do this, they don't vote this way. But he was a strong advocate for immigration reform. He introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Active twenty eleven, but it died in the Senate Judiciary Committee, as things do. If you remember that School of Rock Bill, I'm Bill. Yeah, I don't know if it actually sent that in two thousand and nine. In two thousand nine, he introduced the Orphans and Widowers Protection Act, which would grant a pathway to citizenship for undocumented widowers and orphans of deceased US citizens, which is, yeah, I liking that should happen. Yeah, yeah, But I looked at this up on Congress dot gov slash bill. You can look things up and where they are. Yes, And this never got past the judiciary either. Lame. Yeah. He was a strong supporter of the Dream Act, voting for it co sponsoring it. He voted to continue federal funding for sanctuary cities. Despite all this, he did vote for the Secure Fens Acts of two thousand and six, which was to build seven hundred miles of barriers and expens surveiliance at the US Mexican border. Don't like that, Nope. He supported gun law reform and called for universal background checks for gun owners and the banning of assault weapons, which made the NRA hate him. He also voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which was signed into Lawn twenty twenty two. If we remember, that's how they basically he said, yes, you can be married if you're gay, Like, oh god, the name makes it sound like it's respect like traditional marriage. And I was like, right, I forgot there was no Yeah, I don't know the name of the previous thing, but it basically undid the previous law that band okay, gotcha, and he he voted for that too. So all this to say, consistently on the papers, he looks good for now. Yeah. He was even a member of the Human Rights Caucus, among other caucauses. That's not the right word. I don't know an either plural caucus. Uh, the plural word is kokai. Yeah, that sounds right. And he was celebrated as a sixth Latino ever to serve in the US A Senate. Wow wow, six sixth ever Dawn to serve in the Senate. Wow wow. Well yeah, he's doing big things, truly. His entrance into major politics was dethroning a corrupt mayor, if we want to be dramatic about it, because that mayor that was his mentor that I mentioned earlier. Really he had to testify in a corruption trial against that mayor, and then he won that mentor that mayor's seat like a few years later. So yeah, like on paper, if if looking up to politicians is your thing, right now, he's like looking good. Yeah, someone to look up to, a Latino politician to look up to, very aoc. Yeah, not as progressive, but yeah, still consistently voting the right way, doing things, trailbasing things right, right, right right, breaking the glass ceiling as you might say. So all this changed when he fell from Grace and into Brison dramatic music prison. Yeah, that's what I'm sharing. Bob did it all for love and friendship. What I guess. Bob's political successes were just not enough. His staffers would later say that he wanted to be rich rich. Yeah. So in nineteen ninety five, during a pricey Democratic Party fundraiser, you know the ones where the plates all cost a bunch of money, and yeah, that's how they raised money. So it's like all rich people during a fundraiser like this in Florida, Bob Menendez met Salomon Melchen and he was an eye doctor in West Palm Beach and a multimillionaire. After some investments, he and Bob really hit it off. They were both Latino men with immigrant parents who fled their countries, except like Solomon was from the Dominican Republic, not from Cuba. But they bonded over that, you know, the trauma of being raised as a Latino child of immigrants. So they became best things after that. And this fundraiser marks the start of that relationship that involved favors, not the favors, yeah, favors. So this was where Solomon first donated money to Bob. Bob, Oh, my god, I was gonna say, Bob, well, he first where he first donated money to Bob. And it was a small five hundred dollars donation, Okay, and that was just a start, yeah, just no change for Solomon exactly, and the two became close after this. The families met together, the vacation together, Solomon started paying for flights for Bob, he flew out the family. Yeah, and when Bob became a senator, Solomon started making large donations to his friend, bigger donations. And then at some point, yeah, Bob starts doing favors to help his buddy Solomon out. So in two thousand and eight, Solomon went to Bob for help because his twenty two year old sorry Solomon was also married. A'm married, Oh okay, but he went to Bob men and this to help his twenty two year old girlfriend from the Dominican Republic visit because her visa was denied, and he was like, I don't know why it was denied, Bob, please help me, and Bob did. The visa was personally expectited by him, like and immediately approved. Oh I didn't know they could do that. Apparently it was. It's not common, but it can happen because he called in a favor and yeah, the visa was approved in seconds. He did this two more times with two other girlfriends. Oh my god, for Solomon, who was married. Oh I don't like that. Yeah, and like, maybe this isn't straight up corruption, but like it's little tiny steps to get there. I mean, everyone starts somewhere. Usually it's something small, and then it just leads to more and more. Yeah, you know, bigger things, crimes exactly. Yeah. So in two thousand and nine, Solomon came to Bob for help with a problem. But this was no small problem. Solomon had been over billing Medicare for an drug use. Oh no, in his practice, and this amount that he overbuilt was summed up to almost nine million dollars oh no, oh my god, eight point nine million to be exact. And so Bob being a good friend. Bob went to the Senate Majority leader's office and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to help his friend Solomon. And I mean he must have because like so he wrote then other people to make this problem for Solomon goalway, that's w Yeah. And then in twenty eleven, Solomon went to Bob again. He needed help with a port security contract for a company that Solomon was a part owner of. So he was like, help me with my company, with my security company. That's what he went to Bob for help, right, So the help he needed was that this his security company had a five million contract with the Dominican Republic, the government of the Dominican Republic. But the government was trying to back out of this deal, and so obviously this would lose Solomon a lot of money. It was a five million dollar contract. So then Bob, being a good friend, you know, just a good friend, he stepped in. But like he was a member of the Senate a Foreign Relations committee. Oh no, and at some point he became the chair of that committee. Oh sorry, he was also the chair of the committee that oversees relations with the Dominican Republic. That's not good. So if he in this position, goes to the Dominican Republic and persuades them to take this contract. That's like ethically, yeah, that's not right, wrong, yeah yeah, But Bob pushes to enforce his contract for his friend. Why wouldn't he because over the years, Solomon had given him hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts, which Bob kept out of his financial disclosure report. Oh my god. Yeah. And then in twenty thirteen, Bob became the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the first Latino ever to hold this office. Wow, he's giving us a bad name. Oh my god. As this is happening, as he got this position, the FBI is rating his best these offices. Because Solomon wasn't just committing medicare fraud by overbuilding that one medication. No, he was also falsely diagnosing patients with macular degeneration. This is not super rare, but it's not super super super common. This is an age related eye condition. Part of the retina called the macular becomes damaged. It happens in people older than fifteen most of the time. There is a more rare genetic version of it. So again, not super rare, but not this common, not as often as he was diagnosing it exactly. Yeah, So he was over a diagnos it and then billing test and procedures related to the diagnosis that was overdiagnosed and getting all that money for the diagnosis and for all the tests and procedures related to the diagnosis that was not true in the Yeah. And so you know, whenever senators get positions like these, they do have to go through like a what's it called, like hearing confirmations yes, yes. And so during this he spent Bob spent his time defending his friendship with Solomon because it was under scrutiny, because of course it was. They're like, Bob, tell us about your homies Solomon. Yeah, I'm kind of talking about his sketch things about him. Yeah. And during this time, Bob even trying to pay Solomon back for some of the free flights to the Dominican Republic to make it seem less like bribes and favors. But he only paid for two when there have been over a dozen flights. Oh wow. And after a year of being questioned about this, Bob's campaign paid big money to retain a Washington law firm to like, you know, defend themselves. I guess all this. And then April two fifteen came Bob was indicted on federal corruption charges due to the solemnon situation OO. And during this he gave a speech defending his anti corruption stance, like how could I be corrupt? I came into into politics standing up against corruptions. I can't be corrupt. Oh my god. On the crowd was still on his side. They cheered, they clapped. That's like, what did okay remember when well, this is gonna sound don't want to say, but okay, I remember when Ken Drake and Drake were first feeding right, and then didn't Drake come out and see the dumbest shit something about like if I if I did about like if he liked Milling, Bobby Brown or some dumb shit he said. I remember what he said, but it was so stupid, and it's like, that's the argument you're going to use to defend yourself. I don't remember talking about he said, Actually I think it was one of the songs in one of Drake's songs, one of his responses. I don't remember what he said, but it was so stupid. You know, what, if I was a pedophile would I do this? Yeah, it's like something that a pedophile would do. It was so dumb. I don't even know. How would I look this up? Drake pedophile line defending himself. Drake is not a name that you you're going to see on No Sex of thunder List. If I was effing young girls, I promise I'd have been arrested. I'm way too famous for this ship. You just suggested. Yes, that's the vibes. It's giving. If I was corrupt, how could I would be arrested? If I was doing crimes, I would be arrested. No, you're right, You're right, that is the vibes. Oh my god, I'm so glad you brought that up. You're welcome. Hm, that's funny. And yeah, his constituents were still on his side, his fellow party members still on his side. But like again, these were just words because like the money trail was there was there. There was a lot of emails between Bob and Solomon, emails that showed Bob except the free flights on private jets and large donations in exchange for helping Bob with several things like the Lisa's with the girlfriends who were far far younger than him, but still don't and it takes two years for the case to go to court, like these things have to be prepared, right, And so I guess that's when I thought this happened more recently. But from what I was researching, it looks like around when this case is going to court, McDonald versus the United States happened. And I'm not going to get super into it, but the podcast five four does have an excellent episode on why this is not a good ruling, but it was a good thing for Bob because essentially this redefine what bribery is when it comes to politicians. According to scotus Blog, the federal Bribery Statute eighteen USC. Two hundred and one makes it a crime for a public official to receive or accept anything of value in exchange for being influenced in the performance of an official act. Official act is a decision or action on a question, matter, costuit preceding your controversy. That question or matter must involve a formal exercise of governmental power and must also be something specific and focused that is pending or may by lobby brought before a public official. To qualify as an official act, the public official must make a decision to take an action on that question or matter, or agree to do so. Setting up a meeting, talking to another official, organizing event without more does not fit that definition of an official act. Give a more basic way of saying that I do, but I don't know if you want to. I think it's the same as you're going to say. Okay, Basically, a politician is receiving a gift, they shouldn't be the person giving that gift has to say, this is a brian in exchanged for this thing that I want. Yeah, that's the same thing I was going to say. And I was like, that episode cracked me up because result it was like a horrible, dumb ruling. But that's how they explained and they let's talking shit the whole time. So yeah, sir, sir, excuse me, here's this please? This is a bribe. So yeah, now making it harder to pray? Yeah, what a bribe if it was bribery or not. Yeah, So yeah, this was terrible for the country, right because they're all bribes and fucking all us over. Yes, yeah, so good for them, especially Clarence Thomas. Fucking Clarence Thomas. Yeah, terrible for us, good for our politicians and for Bob. Great for Bob, way to go, and terrible for the prosecution. Again, great for Bob as he was about to start tmrial. Yeah, so they called several witnesses for the prosecution. One of them was one of Solomon's many ex girlfriends, Ukrainian part time model svit Lana. I love that name, and I was watching something else I was talking about this and they were like, svit Lana showed up to court in an all black suit, her long, gorgeous black hair and her just red fiery nails. So she was looking like a boss sounds like slowly queen. And so she was supposed to testify on the behalf of the prosecution to like prove that Bob was taking advantage of his position to help Solomon. That was the goal, right, And so when when she testified, she was asked, you know why you're here, and she was like, no, he's forcing me to be here about the prosecutor. Oh my god, Like, no, I don't know why I am here. Literally she sighed. She signed and said no, which everyone like chuggled a little on the record and they're like, she sighed for the record. There was a visible audible sign the car clerk side witness side rolled the rides and said no, no, because that's what she did. And when asked about the role that Senator Menendez played and helping get her visa, she said, it's a very long time ago, and it's very hard to remember exact conversations, and it's very hard to talk to you because you get picky with every word that I say. Oh, which people laughed. Again she was entertaining, oh no, that's not good. Yeah, and her testimony really made them sound like BFFs and like it wasn't just him using his power to help Solomon. They were like ermannos is what she said. They said they were ermannos. And at some point she said that this was all so boring. Oh my god. The court person to laughter, Wow that you're just like what do they say when they hit the gavel and they're like order, order, order, yes, bring in the crabs. No. But yeah, it was a it was a mess, and people loved her, and it was not helpful for the prosecution, helpful for Bob Damn, Corey Booker and other I think you know who that is. Another New Jersey senator testified on Bob's behalf to like the Democratic was on his side. Well, they all thought he was innocent, that they were all rooting for him. They also needed him to win because if he was found guilty, the Republican governor at the time would pick Bob's replacement. So these cestimonies all go through, and in the end, just before Thanksgiving, the case ended in a mistrial because only two DREAM members found him guilty and ten declared him innocent. So yeah, it was a mistrial. He was free to return to his political career damage free. And instead of taking this opportunity to stop and be better and like not do things that maybe he was like, this isn't corrupt, this isn't me taking advantage of my position. Maybe he really believed that. I don't know. Oh, but instead of doing those things, he did the opposite because he met the love of his life. And who wouldn't want to do things like this for the love of their life. Yeah, you want to show me you love me the crimes for me. Yeah, that's the real test, you know. And they're each other. I guess he didn't meet her officially at this point, so they they got together, Oh, they meet her official and eighteen. So this brings us to Nadine Orslenian Orslenian. Bob knew her for ten years at this point, but they were just friends, the kind of friends that you call and wish a happy Birthday to every year. And Nadine, this was a surprise to me. Nadine was well known in New Jersey. She she had been trying to become friends with the Real Housewives of New Jersey for a long time. Okay, and they all knew her, and even they said she much to them. Yeah, and she was so much how like they they said, she was too obsessed with status symbols like fancy clothes and billtoks. Oh wow, I need picture from them. Oh yeah, yeah. If that's coming from the Real Housewives right away, it's like you can tell she's out of Bob's league. Wait, I need to stay picture of Bob too. Oh and this is this some mean next to her? Must be Bob. Yeah that's Bob. Okay, gotcha, gotcha. We'll post these pictures on the YouTube video and then later on Instagram too. So yeah, she was she was too much for the Housewives of New Jersey. In the Real Housewives of New Jersey. That's wild. Apparently she was enemies with most of them. Wow, so yeah, they're like dating I know that, bitch. Yeah, take from that way you will. She was also well known in the dating scene, but no in a good way because she had very strong emotions like jealous possessiveness, restraining order levels strung. She was arrested in twenty eighteen for violating a restraining order against an X but before she was putting cuffs and removed from the scene. She hit the guy with the photo album. But she was actually abusive. Yeah yeah, And for a while she was out and off with a lawyer named Doug who represented R Kelly at some point. So interesting, all of this is like, really R Kelly discussing But Bob, Bob had always accepted her for who she was. They connected on a deeper level, both of them being from immigrant families that fled their countries. She was Armenian. And then in December twenty eighteen, on the phone with her, he confessed that he loved her, He's always loved her. He would treat her rite not like Doug, and she was like, oh my god, how did I not ever see this? And they left together for a trip to the Dominican Republic just a few months after being together. But they would meet at the local ihop every week after this confession of love. Okay, that's weird. You wouldn't meet at the local I hop and a weekly I Hop date, a standing I Hop date. I don't know, I don't think. So it's actually a bit much. Yeah, to be eating like I hoped that often. It's not even that good. No, it's not, Oh my god. So yeah, at some point after there are Dominican Republic trip together, their first solo trip together, Nadine introduced her good friend While Hannah to her new boyfriend Bob Mean and this and While had been down on his luck for a while, despite his good connections with the Egyptian government. While was not doing good. He had a few failed businesses, but he had a new plan. While he was gonna start a new company, a new halal meat processing company. Oh, I was like, Bob, Bob is his plan. Well, yeah, Bob is part of his plan. So he was going to start this company. And his first contract was with the Egyptian government, but only if Bob used his power as Ahead of Foreign Relations Committee to loosen a military financial aid to Egypt. He just would agree to help while with his company if Bob for them, Yes, so this isn't like helping Solomon anymore. Yeah, then it's not done. While his plan is not over. Then while hire Nadine for a high paying job that wasn't real Okay, wow, yeah, it's actual, like even more scamming beyond bribery. Yeah yeah, fraud. And this was also public. They met with Egyptian officials in a public restaurant more than once. They took selfies together. At least be sneaky about it. If this is what you can do, meet and some don't meet at the local lighthop everywhere, hole in the wall. Yeah, secret restaurant, come on, wow, order in. But no, they took literal selfies together. Oh my god during these meetings, and this continued for a year. During this time, Bob did use this position to advocate to send more aid to Egypt. Woo. Nadine was a middle person going between Bob and the Egyptian government. The government did grant wise hallow Meet company a monopoly on halal meat, which didn't sit right with the US. So the USDA was like, let's look into this because this would rise the prices of her lull meet in the United States, and so they were like, what's going on here? And Bob stepped in again to defend Wyel using his power. He was like, let me call up the USDA and he's like, leave while alone. Oh no, And they did no. But this brought in the FBI, who had already kind of had while on their list of like let's watch out their raiders and yeah, radar, thank you. And so FBI agent Terry Williams Thompson was at Morton's Steakhouse doing surveillance on someone else. She was there, Oh my god, wow, but she noticed Bob Menendez walking in with his wife. She's like, oh, got him. M h. He walked in with Nadine while and a known Egyptian intelligence officer. Oh no. And she's like, Okay, this is weird. Why is this group of people together. This is not normal. So she's like doing her normal surveillance, but she's paid attention to the group of people too, and she overhears Nadine say out loud for everyone to hear, I guess what else can the love of my life do for you? Wow? To the Egyptian intelligence officer, that's like now something you want to be caught saying to them, right, So now she takes us back to the FBI, and now the FBI is like looking at all this, and if you look at the Google docs, they're and now'll post this picture. But there's a picture in there that FBI agent Terry took at the steakhouse. And it's like that classic picture that you don't want anyone to see that you're taking a picture Terry being and she's most for a living. Yeah, but yeah, she took a picture of them. Wow wow wow. So yeah, again, they were very public about their fraud. It's like the dumbest thing you could do. Mm hmm. A couple months after this meeting, the FBI noticed that Bob wired two hundred and thirty thousand, five hundred and sixty eight dollars with fifty four cents. Oh that's so specific into a fake company set up by Nadine. Oh wow, this happened to be the exact amount that Nadine needed to start the foreclosure of her house. Oh my god. I'm I'm saying you can at least like round up a little bit or you know, like, yeah, you're just making their case for them like you're neatly tying up all the evidence together, like you're putting the string on the board for them. Yes, yeah, wow. Of course Bobinidine had no idea the FBI was on their tail, and so instead of laying low, they started up a new corrupt relationship with someone else. Oh my god, Wow, they just went in harder on the corruption in the fraud and yeah scamming okay, yes, who they actually they were connected to through Wyel. So already Whyel is a sketchy dude, and anyone you meet through Wayel is going to be automatically sketchy, right, Yeah, So one of us said, Uriva's friend friends was already being investigative by the FBI for insurance fraud, and Jose wod even knew that he would be implicated eventually by this investigation. So he wanted Bob's help to keep the FBI off his back, and Jose gave them things to try and get on the good side to make this happen. He stupid. Yeah, he made big donations to Bob's campaign. He threw a whole fundraiser for Bob. He gave Nadine fifteen thousand dollars in cash, which Nadine used for a brand new Mercedes. Then he started making the monthly payments for the Mercedes. Wow. Then Nadine texted Bob, we're the proud owners of a new Mercedes. Again. They're leaving that paper shell for the prosecution. Yes, yeah, So after all these gifts, Bob then tells Jose that he's about to meet with the new Jersey Attorney General. He has Jose write down the list of his associates so that he can look into this for his meeting with the Attorney general. Put a pin on that. Two weeks after this meeting with Jose uribe where he tells him, I'm about saying meet with the new Jersey Attorney General. What's that problem? You wanted to meet? A fix for you. So that's what happened in that meeting with Josse and Bob. Right. Two weeks after this meeting, Bob and Nadine are in the taj Mahal and Bob proposes to her. This is now October twenty nineteen. I took They're married, Arnie No again. A couple of weeks after the meeting with Jose, after he'd been giving them all those gifts, this is now taj Mahal and they put it on social media. They're all happy. Host says too, and click on that YouTube link on the Google docs and I you have to hear this, because I had to hear it. Okay, I'm gonna press play now. She was done. You all the shot in the town spotlight. Long enough? Right? Yeah? Oh my god, Okay, I don't like that. We'll describe the scene for those on Spotify, don't worry. So what you just heard is Bomb singing to me Dean. That was the proposal. He's sitting behind her on a bench and they're sitting together in the worst possible way. It's the worst fuck thing I've ever seen. I don't like PDA Okay, I like watching it. I'm just gonna say that. I don't care if I sound like a prude. I don't want to see it, Okay, not in front of my salad, and and the way that they're sitting, the way that I'm just like, I don't like this. This. This is very reminiscent of a couple that sits next to each other at the restaurant. I don't like that either. I don't. Yeah, and yeah, that's how that couple would stand also, like she's sitting gribe all, yeah, on a bench, yeah, behind behind her, on the top part of the bench where your back goes. He's standing there behind that. I guess I thought it was a bench. I didn't have that upper part. Oh, it was just like a bench, you know, like the bench actually makes more sense. You're right, yeah, you're right. So just playing bench with no upper back portion. I don't know what you call that, not like a chair, a bench. And yeah, he's sitting, she's sitting, he's standing behind her, and then she's looking up at him the whole time while he's singing. And it's disturbing. It's not cute, you know what they were trying to do. It wasn't cute. It was weird and gross. And so the song he's singing is never enough. From the musical The Greatest Shoman Ugh. Actually that's a musical about PT Barnham. Yes, yeah, the circus freak freak as an exploiter of people. Yeah, no, of course as a literal freak, you know, yeah, yeah, not like a normal freak. Yeah, and that's what he's saying to her, to propose weird, fucking weird, Yeah, but honestly, to be sitting like that and like be okay with it, you know, they're both fucking freaks. Yeah, and then singing out loud like that, Yeah, yeah, her being okay with that. Like, if it's not karaoke and my spouse is singing out loud for everyone to hear, I'd be like, what the fuck are you doing? Yeah? Yeah, karaoke. It was fine. So yeah, if you're on YouTube, we did play the video. If not, we described it pretty perfectly. It was fucking gross. So Jose ooh do you best saw this video? And and he was like, oh, I'm happy for my new corrupted friends. And then he gets a call like almost right away from Bob and Bob tells them, Oh, don't even worry about the thing that you need to help with. It's all taken care of. So I guess he was able to drop those investigation charges or he thought he was interesting. Yeah, And so you know, things went on. They were happy, engaged. I don't know when actually got married, but they were happy where Bob and his wife Nadine and was regarded name. Yeah, it was all happy for them. But that didn't last long because eventually, when did this I didn't write down the day, of course, well three December December twenty twenty might have been January twenty twenty. Anyway, the FBI rated wires home and his offices, and like Bob should have been worried because he was deep in it with while, but it wasn't worried. He continued to meet with Egyptian government officials. He met with an Egyptian top spy in March twenty twenty, and this spy gave Bob a new mission, A mission, A mission like impossible, he told Bob. Actually, I don't know they, I don't know. It could be a woman. I don't know. Anywayomen are spy too, Yeah, women are not anymore. No, no, not here, not on the US anyway, this spy gave Bob a mission, he said. They said, we want you, Bob, to stop Ethiopia from building a dam of the Nile River. And Bob got to work email tube cabinet secretaries to get involved with this pressure on Ethiopia to not do this something you should be doing. No, right, I don't think so. I don't think you should be job like. I don't think that a spy from another government should be able to go to a senator and say, stop this country from building this thing in my river. I feel you're right. I don't know, that's just me. Maybe that's just us. I don't know, I don't know. In exchange for their four Bob's help with this dam, while bought them things nice exercise equipment, air purefyers. I hope it was like something expensive that this is ridiculous. Yeah, and then things got worse from there, like I did a foreign scam with a foreign government, foreign interference with dams for a peloton, Like for a peloton, you could probably a four. They're kind of pricey. I did look into it, and I'm like, like five k I felt like that was pricey. I'm like, I'll just that keep going crazy. Yeah, yeah, I would never Maybe I wouldn't do a crime for a poloton. Then you know what, I'm just gonna assume it. Put this for Instagram for many ourselves. Sorry, if you're listening, we're just making faces at each other, like like when we maybe and yeah, again, things go worse because Bob wasn't done. He made another shady friend, Bob, Bob come on, Fred Dabies. Fred was a real estate developer and he like dressed shady. He was wearing a pop collar with a golden chain, like those sleazy seventies crime people. Anyone with a pop callar, I'm like better stirre clear. Yeah. So Fred Daby was the one who helped Wild with his halal meat business, so that's already like okay, yeah, because again what Wild was rated by the FBI for this? Right, Fred was also dealing with fra our charges, which is what he wanted Bob's help with. And also another thing. Fred wanted a Katari royal family member to invest in his real estate deal. And Bob being ahead of foreign affairs or whatever the fuck, oh my god, not this again, started talking up the Qatar government in like meetings. He's like, actually, guitar is not that bad. Never mind their human rights violations. Really, forget about that bad Who cares about that? In exchange for his help, Fred was setting over fancy watches and then just straight up bars of gold. Wow. And then fucking Bob searched how much is a bar of gold worth? He's so stupid, Oh my god, incriminating himself. Yes more. At least it wasn't Adine texting him like, oh my god, these bars of gold we just got from Uh fuck, what's the same? Fred? Are so heavy? That was like the next thing. That's the only thing that would have been worse googling this. So then, unfortunately Bob could not get rid of all of Fred's charges even though he tried. Fred pleaded guilty to federal banking crimes and was facing a long time sentence. And what do you do when you're facing a long sentence? Try to get away with it. You try to get a deal. There's not getting away with it anymore. To work out a deal, okay, And how do you work out a deal by snitching? Yes? Okay, you really there? I did. Yeah, I'm waiting for you to say it. You're like more crimes. No, Fred folded, he snitched, and Bob and eighteen had no idea that like at this time, Fred was giving out the deets. They were on a vacation, international vacation. Of course, they were of course, probably the Dominican Republic from a free flight from Solomat. I don't know, that's not a fact, that's just they were on a vacation though. So while they were out, their home was raided by the FBI and the FBI went through everything. They see thirteen gold bars, not the gold bars, thirteen of them. And they also took four hundred and eighty thousand dollars that was stashed around the house, hidden in places gone. They literally all try to hide their no crimes at all. No, the FBI also broke down doors that they could have just opened, horsated and you know what when they do that shit, you you had to pay for it. They don't like reimburse their damages. Yeah, even if they get the wrong house. Well obviously they kill people on wrong houses too, of course at hand. Yeah, it really is. In no way are we on the FBI side about this? You know, I think that if Bob was just helping his friends, I think, without interfering the governments, I think, now just getting out of me find with that because they're wasting online. Yeah, no, of course he's a public. Yeah, Bob and Nadine got home to this mess and they were mad. They're like, where's my goal, why is my door? Where are my thirteen gold bars? Oh my god? And so not long after this raid, Bob, Nadine, while and Hoseitiba were all subpoena. The FBI was especially interested in the Mercedes that Nadine had, and so to look less suspicious, they started paying for this car for themselves because again was making those payments right. Then Bob and Nadine make a new plan. They decided to make everything look like it was a loone. So they made a payment to Whyale and they wrote to litiquate liquidate. Wow, we can't read to liquidate the loan. But again, there was no loan. This was all gifted to them, public officials, all getting an insane amount of money from people to make things happen for those people. So they do this together and they seem like united front. But Bob was like, now, no, no, I'm going to pretend I know nothing about this and blame my wife. Bob, Bob, come on today's slogan Bob. So yeah, that was his next move, pretend I know nothing, blame my wife. So on September twenty third, twenty twenty three, Bob was indicted on federal corruption charges for agent providing sensitive information to the government of Egypt. Right after the charges, he was like radio silent, nobody heard from him. Then two days later he gave a speech. In the speech, He's like I'm not resigning from the Senate. I'm innocent. I've always held a guitar accountable for the humans rights by violations. And then in the speech, he tried to explain the giant stock pile of cash so the FBI took how do you explain that? Would you possibly say? I'll tell you, he said, for years, for thirty years, I've been taking out one thousand dollars of my savings and putting it in different places in my house as an emergency stash because of the history of confiscation my family face in Cuba. Damn blaming his immigrant trauma on this. Yeah, not only that, but like you know, Cubans, thieves were taken from them, the people, the rich Cubans that fled, and so he was like, because of that trauma, I need to hide money. Wow. That speech also reminds me of that episode of Office where they had to do a recall because of the animals that are printed on the paper having sex. And then Michael like, no one, no one in the local media is making a big deal about it, and he's the one making a big deal about it. And then he makes that video about how he's not going to reside that's what it is. And then Bomb got into his office told his assistant to the regional manager to record him. I will not resign. But this time his excuses were not working. Nobody was on his side. I mean it's like a like a this is maybe the first time they believe you, but now it's like, come on, man, this is a pattern. At this point, We're going to excuse fraud once but the second time yeah no, yeah, no way, yeah no. Two weeks after this speech of his and the indictments whatever Nadine was, this came out to light. Nadine was now facing or people were questioning what happened. So in twenty eighteen, Nadine hit a forty nine year old man with her car and killed him. Okay, so she did this before, and then now that this was coming to light, Yeah, this like hit the news again or people were like, yes, it wasn't published, oh yeah, because somehow she faced no consequences when happened in two eight somehow, somehow who I don't know. So on the night of the accident, she said the man came out of nowhere, and then she refused to give her phone up to police. She had a record of texting and driving a few times, and so they were like, we need to make sure you weren't texting when this happened, and she refused to give her phone up. Then someone claiming to be a retired cop stepped in and was like, Nadine's not being charged with this, blah blah blah. The man that she hit had alcohol and marijuana in his system and had been jaywalking, and so this investigation didn't go any further than this, and basically he was blamed for Nadine hitting him down causing his death. So now in twenty twenty three, the current Attorney General from New Jersey started looking into the situation, and it's alleged that Bobman and this intervened with the prosecution and like blocked their investigation into this, and the charges were just dropped. Wow, So that's how Nadine got away with it. And then this car that she was in this accident is the one they replaced the Mercedes with. Oh oh sorry, I'm because I'm saying this is how they got the Mercedes because they were replacing the car that she hit someone with. Yeah, wow, And it's just not a good look. No, And then it just got worse, they both got another charge conspiring to act as a foreign agent on Egypt's behalf. So Bob released another statement. He's like, I've always been loyal to the US. I've never colluded with the foreign government. And if I did, go, no, I don't keep This time, the Democrats were not on his side like the first time. Yeah, there was senators calling for his resignation. The first to do this was bum ass fucking John Fetterman. I'm sorry, I hate Yeah, you don't know, I don't think so he gets so much money from APAC and if you know, you know, yeah, and he's he doubled down on his dance on this. He even came out during all that with a flag tied around. Oh oh, I saw that video or picture. I didn't realize And let me backtrack a little bit. He came up as this very progressive senator quote unquote that was like, like, oh, they voted for hit him in because he was like different and he didn't wear suits. He always wears hoodies and like that's a red flag first, yeah, and I say that as someone always in a hoodie. But he also was talking about immigrants and his immigrant wife filed for divorce. Oh wow, that's how you do it. That's how you do it. So that's who John Futterman is. And he was the one calling for Bob Minna's resignation, and he bought a cameo from disgraced former Congressman George Santos. And go ahead and click that link. Oh my god. Okay, So who bought a cameo? John Buttter Metriman bought a cameo? Got cha? Yes, okay, this situation. Yeah, and I'm gonna play it as well. One two three play. Hey Bobby, Uh look, I don't think I need to tell you, but these people that want to make you get in trouble and want to kick you out and make you run away, you make him put up or shut up. You stand your grounds. So yeah, wow, Yeah, he bought a cameo from George Santos, another prison will versed in scams. Oh yeah, a fellow Latino. Right, he's a Brazilian. Yes, yeah, all right. Even his Bob's former mentee, Corey Booker, who defended him so hard the first time, started calling for his resignation, and he was like, it breaks my heart to do this, but like, you have to resign and he was like no, no, they're trying to they're trying to kick me out because'm you know math, you don't pull card, please do not, but he did. Wow, And so then Jose pled guilty, agreed to testify against his co co conspirators, so Bob Nadine while and Nadine and Bob got hey with another charge, obstruction of justice. They were like not playing with him. So this was because they tried to make the bribe money seem like loans. The fact, yeah, they were in fact obstructing justice. Yeah, yeah, they really were. And if things didn't seem like they could get any worse, they did. Lawyers started trying to request the delay Nadine's trial because she was sick, and this was actually true. She was taken us with breast cancer. She's still currently finding breast cancer. Her trial was postponed indefinitely. So yeah, the judge agreed. Also, during this time, they told Bob like, hey, if you testify, you would violate your spousal privilege by revealing incuminating information toward Nadine. And Bob was like I don't give a fuck. He's like walk, I will say whatever, And so he's not right or I he's looking at number one. Yeah, not a wife guy anymore. At the trial, his strategy was to say that he had no idea what his wife was up to, even claiming that the gold bars were all hers. That's so stupid because you're the one at the Senate committee and speaking with the foreign whatever, Like that's you, that's not her. Yeah. Yeah, And it was like a whole media circus, and Nadine's friends were like, we're going to defend her. So they spoke with the New York Posts and they were like, Nadine's not a criminal mastermind, She's just a clean a girlfriend. But then they said that they were the ones to encourage her to marry bomb Bob because she needed health care. So this doesn't make her her look good, it's making her look like a scammer. Yeah. So I don't know what they were trying there, but they tried their best. Is that what they did. Maybe they're not ever either, I don't know. Two weeks into the trial, joseibe Is said to testify he's like the star witness because he's the one flipping on them, right. Nadine wasn't at the trial because again, she's sick. It's postponed for her. Everyone else is there that comes clean. He tells the court that why I told him Bob would help him avoid federal charges for a quarter of a million dollars. So he was testifying for the prosecution. Yeah, okay, yeah against Yes, got everyone else. So he testified while was the one who connected him with Bob, because Bob would help him avoid federal charges, but Bob would only do it for a quarter of a million dollars. He also talks about the twenty nineteen meeting in Bob's house where he or Bob was like, well, let me see what I can do when I meet with the attorney general. Give me the list of people that you need me to ask about for the attorney general. This is the meeting they had at the house. And this testimony directly contradicts the defensive strategy of Bob had no idea, there's no meeting was at his house. He was the prison at the meeting. And during the meeting, apparently he summoned Nadine with a bell. He rang a bell, likedin come bring me this paper past. Different picture of the dynamics than Bob was trying to paint exactly yeah, and also weird. Yes, tattoo. They're not beating the freak allegation. They're really not, No, because like you know that Bell was ready like and there. I don't like it. No, no, So yeah, it just goes against like, oh, I have no idea what my wife is doing. Yeah, And this was just the first blow to Bob's legal strategy. Then his staffer started testifying. Sarah Arkin worked for him as a foreign policy advisor. She was like, he's been acting so weird for years now. He was like, toned down on your public criticism of Egypt, when before he would never have said that she wanted to write this public letter about like how human rights and blah blah blah's they actually don't say anything about Egypt anymore, Okay, just keeping the downlow, like we actually we love EACHYPT now. Yeah, he literally said, keep this private. We're trying to fix these communications with them in private. We don't want to do these letters calling them out anymore. So yeah. And then in twenty twenty one, she was helping coordinate a trip from bomb to Egypt and Qatar, and he Bob came to this person that was testifying that he was like go through Abdolmajid for my trip, and Abdolmajid was a code name for in another Egyptian intelligence officer. So he was speaking with two Egyptian intelligence officers. Wow. And he told his staffer, like, contact this person instead a person they've never contacted before. They have like official like avenues tubok channels, yeah, channels, And this was like out of the normal. And she's like, who's abdomage? Yeah, And and turns out it was an intelligence officer who was apparently BFS with Nadine. Nadine, what the hell? Where is she meeting these people? I don't know through while like Canadian's text with Abdal Yes, what's Abdalmajid? So these were revealed in the court. Okay. Text included what Nelson should I use when I go to DC? What about writing camels in Egypt? Oh? Also what about the murder of the journalists in Egypt? No? Oh my god? Yeah? Uh? Incriminating, yeah, to say the least. Yeah. Yeah. And there would be just more and more hard hitting testimony against Bob, as well as testimony in his favor. His sisters tried their best to defend him, as I guess any sister would, I don't know. They were like, he just keeps his money like that because he's Cuban. It's a Cuban thing. Our parents kept money in the grandfather clock in Cuba. It's a Cuban thing. You would understand because you're not Cuban. Yeah, not as true. Defense didn't work, no human defense, Oh my god. No. After three days of deliberation, Bob was found guilty of all charges. Wow, and he's making history. This made him the first city member of Congress to be convicted convicted of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. Wow. You know what, he just keeps going with these trailbazing moments. He didn't stop, right icon' the first what a leader of Latinos to hold that one position breaking record? First? Yeah exactly. So yeah, making history as a Latino and a criminal. Wow, and all of this is happening, but like nobody is even realizing because the US and isn't a fucking mess at this time. Wait, so okay, because I read twenty twenty twenty twenty one, when was he finally found guilty. This was twenty twenty four when it was found guilty. But this trial was overshadowed because at the same time, Biden had just had the presidential debate with uh Trump, and you know the one, the one where people were like, oh my god, he's not there. He's he's so slow, something's wrong with him. He needs to resign. Yeah, this was happening. And then like just a few days after this is when Trump supposedly got shot in the ear. It really happened there. I was there. I was labor in Denver. Ye, yes, I remember tis of our lives and with our best deeds. Yes, with a shoutout Aiden and lady. So all this was happening at the same time. I didn't even know this happened. Yeah, the same because I was busy, like, oh, you're just dominating the news it was. And so yeah, he was able to like kind of go unnotice and also crazy. But even with this conviction, he would have been allowed to finish his term in the Senate and then go to jail. Really well yeah, I mean look at Trump. So not a surprise. And so he Bob was like, I'm not going to resign again. Gray Michael Scott, Okay, Yeah, and even though he didn't want to, he was eventually forced. There was really too many people calling for his resignation, and so he did this. August twenty twenty four, he officially resigned. And then there was another trial that was yet to happen. That did happen January twenty twenty five. In this trial, he was sentenced. I think this is the trial to see what sentence he will receive. He was found guilty, and then there was a second trial for his setence. Okay, and so that was said to happen January twenty twenty five. And trial, Yeah, on January twenty ninth, he was sentenced to eleven years in prison. Oh okay, So he was convicted and then sentence he was sentenced, Okay, not that long ago, you know, just a couple of weeks ago. Yah. Recording Wow, and again overshadowed because the US is a fucking mess, because we are in the fight of our lives. Yeah yeah, and so yeah, yeah, he is I guess in prison. Now did you say how long? Eleven years? Eleven years? Okay, wow, Bob. And that was the case of Bob Menndez. That's interesting. Yeah, I'm like, I hope it was. I hope it wasn't. Too well. We can get some feedback, like do you guys like scams? But just saying nicely, because Christina is very sensitive, I will cry. You can say scams aren't really my thing, or like I love a good scam, tell me or you know, yeah, but I will say when it comes to scams and fraud. This was on the kind of side of like, Bob, you're just dumb. Bob is dumb, and I don't want to take away like he made decisions, he made choices, but I think a lot of it is like he he was saying, out with the wrong crowd. He's like the influence, and he's dumb, and he loves like a good like a you know, like a friend and a partner. Really steer him the wrong way. Yeah, what's that saying that our black parents always said all the time, San migos, it is, Yes, it is some shit like that. Yeah, show me who your friends are, and that shows me who you are. Yeah, and these are bob friends. Yeah, this is Bob, that's who. Yeah, Bob just wanted to be rich and he didn't care he did it. Yeah, and now he's in prison for eleven years. But yeah, I mean, yeah, let us know, I like, just no, no more scams. This fucking sucks, but not like that. Yeah, but yeah, that was that was the case. It was a long one. I think the moral of the story for the rest of us that are not Bob is like, we shouldn't put up people on a pedestal just because of the first Latino to do something pedestal. It is said that weird. But yeah, oh, how do I say it? I don't know. It's like the emphasis is like on the wrong part of the word pedestal, pedestal. I don't even know anymore pedestal. What's the right way pedestal? I don't know. However you said it the first time's wrong, I feel like, but now I'm not sure anymore. How it sounds. It's weird, yeah, pedestal, Yeah, okay, whatever, whatever, it doesn't matter. You would have said. But yes, that is the lesson, especially a politician, you know. Oh my god. And this goes out to all you Trump lovers. I don't think we have any I feel like we shouldn't have any. I don't write we really shouldn't after all the shit we've talked. I don't think better if people, and if you do, please don't leave us. A one star review on your way out. It really floors me the way that they like you will never catch me idolizing a politician nor a celebrity in this manner, like this is just wild behavior, like fanatical, literally crazy. Sometimes that reminds me, Actually, I don't know if you had more to say. Nope, that was the case, and I said the moral of the story to me, right, yeah, that was it. Okay, so that reminds me. I and I guess there'll be my spooky recommendations are really spooky. It's more like should we just jell into speaking recommendations. Yes, yeah, right, So my recommendation is Defectors by pla Amos, and Christina just started reading it, so we're also doing like an informal last minute because we both happened to be reading it. Little read along over, I said this unknown, So I'm not sure what that's gonna look like. Yeah, but the Patreon is free to join that part of it. And what do you think. I guess like when we're done, we'll just record a video and maybe people can join like something like that. I'm not sure. Yeah, that would look like we can, yeah, just do it live over on Patreon, but we'll make it so that all members can join, including free members, or should we do like a zoom. I don't know. I don't know. Well, we'll see what we do. But we're going to read it along and Christina's still reading it, so you still have time to join and yes, oh and like a couple of our patren members on his story hasn't known. We're like, oh, yes, we're doing this. Yeah I didn't see now. Yeah, so exciting. But I already finished it because I couldn't stop listening to it. I was obsessed and I'm still thinking about it. And it's early in the year, so I don't know if it will be my favorite nonfiction book of the year, but I think it will be. But anyway, there's this part where Paula talks about a man, a Mexican man, who had a Bugele themed birthday party which included cupcakes with B's discussing face on them. And he did this more than one year in a row. So I'm just like, this is outrageous behavior. And that's what those you know, fanatical Trump fans remind me of, like, like have you seen that Trump themed wedding? No, but discussing Yeah, Oh my god. I just couldn't believe it, Like the way people are that's horrifying. That is the truth. That's that's that's no, No, I can't. I don't even have words. I don't even have clearent words. I would rather die than have a theme like that on any occasion. Yeah, and this goes for any politician. You will never catch me, can you imagine? Oh, that's just like wild behavior, Like we have to fight politicians. They're not usually on our side, you know what I mean, not usually ever, So no, they're your enemy. Actually, so it's while to be acting like that. I can't wait to finish the factors. I can't wait time actually, like I need to talk about it. Yeah, I know. I Oh, I'm still on page ten. I need to finish. Oh, the Parable of the Stower, right, I need to start first, the second one. I'm halfway through it, so I'm almost stay nice. Yeah, it's slower because I'm reading it and listening to the audiobook instead of just the audiobook. I've never done that with the book. It's because sometimes I miss things and I go back on the page and I'm like, oh, yes, this is where I was, and I read that section. Then I go back to the audiobook unless I miss something counter protect them. But okay, so it's because sometimes I just don't retain things. Well that's how I went to audiobooks too, but with the factors, I literally like would pause and write down a thought really quick mmmm, yes, okay, or really share my thought with you, and that helps me retain it a little bit. Yes, no, same, okay, So that's your recommendation. Um, yeah, because I haven't really done much reading other than that, okay, and especially because last time I gave my like ten recommendations, all the ones, you should save them. That's what I was doing for a while, but that day I couldn't stop talking. So that's true. Yeah, that's yeah. Usually I do space them out. Yeah, oh wait, I did so I read Kindred? Did I I already recommended that one, didn't I the book? Oh maybe I don't remember. Yeah, I only did Parable of the Swer No. I listened to Kindred like immediately after that because I was I need more Octavia and my library didn't have the second of the parable of the sore Parable of the Talents I think it's called, Yes, but they did have Kindred, and oh my god, Kindred was amazing. Actually don't it is, So that's what I just said. You didn't talk about it. Oh you did say that, Okay, well I didn't hear you because I was talking anything. Yes, anyway, it was so good. I rated it five out of five. I really really. I finished it like in two day because I couldn't stop listening to it. Well, a little longer, but still. And I just love, like, like I wish I knew what my ancestors were doing, you know, back in the day, and I be just because inherently of our Mexican Taldurian heritage whatever, like I know that we have some colonizers in our family, and so I feel like in that sense, it is like very relatable in Kindred because her one of her ancestors was in He was an enslaver and he basically raped her ancestor and that's how you know, her family came to be. And I'm like, oh my god, Like she has such hope for him that he was going to change his ways and actually be a good person, but doesn't happen because he is a product of his time. And I'm like, I wouldn't love to meet my colonizing ancestors, but I would like to know what they did and who they did it too, you know, just just to know. You know, what's so weird to me when people are like it's always like people on threads too. Some people are just so weird on there. But there's some people that are like, you have to like both sides of your family. You can't deny the Spanish side. And I'm like, oh, well, the thing is that I never really I feel like no one in our family has ever idolized other than the general like propping up whiteness as in, I don't know, calling the one person we aye and like complimenting yeah, but buscari and other than that, you know, the general stuff like that. I feel like because there's other families that they're like, oh, we have a Spaniard ancestor and such and such, part like we all have blue eyes. We don't have like family like that. And so I feel like I've never idolized whatever a Spaniard ancestry might have. And I know I know it's going to be less than than Mexican or sall During or you know, indigenous ancestry. I know that because otherwise I would be taller, I would, you know, what I mean, I would have green eyes? Yeah, yeah, so so yeah, and I would I can't relate to that at all, Like huh, I said, And I would talk like this all the time. What do you mean like that if I had green eyes? Oh? I was like, what do you mean? Yes, yeah, like all creepy and shit. So anyway, I liked I like that, And and it reminded me too of what other book that I read of I was it The Haunting Avalhanda where it has like some passages from her ancestors in the in the past. Ryan reminded me of that too. So anyway, it was just really good. I love a good time travel book. But I mean, if it's going to be also about like like racial dynamics and and stuff like that, that just that much better, you know. Yeah, yeah, okay, and sorry. And I watched the not This again. The whole point that I brought that up, because I can't remember if I talked about her now, is that I MJ told us that there's a show on Hulu about Kindred. Oh yeah, yeah, did you watch it. I've only watched the first episode so far, and it's already no like two, I've watched two episodes, I think, and it's already way different than the book because in the book, I think they're all a little bit older. In the book, actually I remember, Yeah, she hadn't been thirties, she's a little older. So in the show she's younger, and so is the Kevin her. In the book, they're married. In the show, they're not married. They literally just met and that starts happening with her. So yeah, I feel like, I don't know, I feel like they need to have a connection that dynamitic, yeah, in order for him to believe, but he sees it immediately and he's still from what because you know how it starts off with the ending is I don't know, there's a better way to explain that. But. There has to be a word for that. But whatever. The book, the opening scene of the book is basically what happens at the end. And so in the beginning of the book, she's already been time traveling to the past, and so then like that happens, and then I think it's a time span of months where she's it starts and she's time traveling back and forth or whatever. And so then after the first time it happens, it's quick and Kevin, her husband, thinks that it's not real or that she's imagining or dreaming, and then I think she travels back in time like two more times until he sees it once or two more times. And then in the show, in the first episode, she it starts off differently and not like actually just start off with a similars anyway. But in the show, she meets Kevin at a restaurant when she's eating with her aunt and uncle and then she needs to write home whatever blah blah she and at that point she's already transported back once or twice I think, and then he's back. He spends the night with her. Then she transports like one time, and the neighbors come because she's screaming because she's scared. I forgot what happens, but anyway, it happens again and he literally sees her disappear in front of him. So that's why he like believes it right away. But yeah, they don't have that emotional connection right off the bat like they do any book, and I feel like you need it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's weird. There's a long way way of saying that. So I don't know what the show will look like I'm sorry about that. Yeah, definitely seen the first one or two episodes, so I'm gonna keep watching. Just you know, it wasn't bad or anything, but it's just different, you know how that happens. Yes, and it's in prison, like more present time, not in the eighties, like the book is right in the seventies. Actually the book isn't from the seventies. Yeah, they have to check that out. I actually don't have any speaking of recommendations. So it's kind of good that you had all that to say because I've only been watching. I don't know what got into me, but I've been watching nine one one zones start. Oh you didn't mention that. I don't know why. And honestly, I love Rob Low so I did too. Yeah, And like I told Carmen, but his if you watch Parks in rec like his character in Lone Star one Lone Star is very Chris trigger coated. Yeah, he's like super healthy. Some girl tried to give him cookies and he was like, I'm actually an quito and then his firefighters like he's gonna eat the cookie. Oh my god. Well, a while ago I started watching Parks in reg and I'm not at the part where Chris and Ben come yet, but I'm looking forward to that. They're almost They gave that the way, they really gave that show the fresh of breath that needed. Yeah. Yeah, I like some episodes from before, but it doesn't hit the same without them. Yeah yeah, yeah, but yeah, so that's what I've been doing. I haven't been doing any his Pookie others than working on this podcast and dying from the flu. Yeah that's the real horror. The flu. That was the real horror. It was terrible. Yeah yeah, so yeah, yeah, other than that, I don't know if you've stuck with us this long. Wow, this was a long one. And yeah, don't forget that. On Patreon, we are donating every month to a different charity. Last or this month was a Lado's water Drop program where they drop off water in the middle of the desert, water, food, weather appropriate clothing for those that need it out there, because you know, when people need it, they need it, and so they're like saving lives by providing this stuff. So we did donate. We combine as Spooky Tails and start has known of that goes to whatever charity if you have any that you want us to donate to let us know. If you want to help us with that and also help us at the same time, then join either Patreon honestly, yeah, though on a Spooky Taels you do get our actually we should upload the vlogs to both, but you get our vlogs that Carmes Gonta visiting a few days, so we're going to have a vlogs soon. And also we do episodes where we were where we talk about our favorite media when I has to do with like a certain genre, yeah, and then what I gotta go, Okay, I will and this later Bye Bye. As Book Tells is hosted by Christina and Carmen, produced and edited by Christina, researched by Christina Carmen and with the help of Don Shout Out Don. If you aren't joying the podcast considerably, gonna say five star review, we would really appreciate it. If you don't want to the afesstar review, just don't leave a review, but don't leave anything lower than that, please, I'm just kidding. You can reach out to the podcast at a spooktos at gmail dot com. You can go to our website at bookitos dot com and fill out the contact form. If you want to support the podcast, you can join our Patreon where we send exclusive stickers, have bonus episodes. Eight dollar members get an exclusive keychain. It's super cool. I got new ones and these ones are huge. And if you want to support, but you can or don't want to join the Patreon, that's fine too. You can also get some merch. You can find sure s Essay, Spooky and old English letters. There's beanie. I love the beanie. There's also a hat. There's a no Mamus shirt which is a fan favorite. There's a lot of options, crap tops, sweaters, it's almost swetter weather. We're nearing a spookie season, so yeah, get your hoodies. You're gonna need them. If you don't want to do all that, that's fine too. You can just listen like you're listening now, and that's the best support that you can give us, like I always say in our ad break and yeah, if you like history, you can follow Estodia's Unknown Mining, Carmen's other podcasts, and you can find as Spooky taels on all of our socials at a Spooky Tells All. This is in the show notes and we appreciate every single listen thank you so much, stay as spooky