NJ bizman admits to Bob ‘bribe’

A New Jersey businessman accused of bribing Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded guilty Friday to a superseding indictment alleging he helped the Democrat and his wife purchase a Mercedes-Benz convertible in exchange for the powerful lawmaker protecting one of the businessman’s colleagues from a state investigation over insurance fraud.

Jose Uribe, a former insurance agent in Menendez’s home town of Union City, copped to seven counts during a Manhattan federal court hearing, including charges of wire fraud, obstruction of justice and tax evasion — and agreed to “cooperate fully” with investigators, court filings show.

US District Judge Sidney Stein accepted Uribe’s guilty plea and set a sentencing hearing for June 14. Uribe faces up to 95 years in prison if given the maximum sentence on all counts, but his actual penalty will be greatly reduced from that figure.

Uribe’s attorney, Daniel Fetterman, and a spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

Robert Luskin, an attorney for Menendez, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.