Menendez Reportedly Under FBI Investigation

Huffington Post reports that U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, is under FBI investigation.

According to a report by WNBC’s Jonathan Dienst, the Justice Department is investigating the senator’s ties to brothers William and Roberto Isaias, who are wanted in Ecuador. The brothers, who ran Ecuador’s largest bank, were convicted ofembezzling more than $660 million during Ecuador’s banking crisis in 1999. The brothers now live in Coral Gables, Fla.

At the center of the investigation is whether Menendez helped the brothers stay in the United States.

According to Dienst’s reporting, the brothers turned to the New Jersey senator, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for help in seeking permanent residence in the U.S. Officials said Menendez wrote letters and made calls on behalf of the brothers, according to the New York TV station’s report.

What may prove problematic for the senator is whether he received campaign donations in exchange for help.

Menendez’s office denied the allegations.