New York.- Sen. Robert Menéndez (NJ-D), charged with 14 counts of corruption, bribery and influence peddling, allegedly managed to get US visas for three young lovers of Dominican ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, who faces 76 charges of Medicare fraud and health system related felonies, reveals the inducement against the Cuban – American lawmaker.
Court papers say Menéndez contacted State Dept. officials, who in turn contacted the US ambassadors in Brazil and Ukraine, where visas were issued to two of the three women, one of whom, Juliana Lopes Leite, 22 at the time, had posed nude for two magazines. She is also an actress and a lawyer graduated from the University of Miami in 2010. She’s now 34.
"Menendez knew she was Melgen’s girlfriend when she applied for her visa," elnuevodiario.com.do reports.
The case of the visas also figures on the indictment against Menendez, who instructed his political advisor Mark Lopes to contact State, which responded within hours to an e-mail from the senator’s office on July 24, 2008 .
"We asked to give careful consideration to the visa application of a Brazilian woman who wants to come to the United States," says the e-mail, copy of which is also part of Menendez’s indictment.
The Brazilian, identified only as "Girlfriend I” in the indictment, had applied to study law in Miami.