Wael Hana is an Egyptian-born American businessman and restaurateur operating primarily in New Jersey, who gained notoriety for his central role as a middleman in the Menendez corruption scheme. With alleged ties to Egyptian intelligence, Hana facilitated a bribery scheme from 2018 to 2023, providing Senator Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine with gold bars, cash payments exceeding $1 million, a luxury Mercedes-Benz, and other benefits in exchange for the senator's influence on U.S. foreign policy toward Egypt and assistance to New Jersey-based businessmen, including aid for a halal meat certification monopoly. Hana owns multiple halal meat markets and food businesses in the New York metropolitan area, which served as fronts for laundering bribe money. He pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges and was convicted of bribing Senator Menendez. In March 2024, he pleaded guilty specifically to conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services wire fraud, and failure to register as a foreign agent, facing a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison with sentencing scheduled for January 2025. Hana's involvement stemmed from his connections to Egyptian officials, including intelligence figures, who directed him to build relationships with Menendez to secure favorable U.S. policies, such as blocking sanctions on a Nile dam project and nominating an Egyptian ally as U.S. ambassador. Prior to the scandal, Hana maintained a low public profile, focusing on his entrepreneurial ventures in the ethnic food sector catering to Muslim communities. The case, investigated by the FBI, exposed broader networks of foreign influence in U.S. politics, with Hana cooperating with authorities by providing evidence against Menendez, who was convicted in July 2024 on 16 felony counts including bribery and acting as a foreign agent.