New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez'swife is reportedly struggling to stay afloat amid a rash of legal and financial struggles, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Nadine Arslanian, 57, was indicted along with her politician husband on bribery and corruption charges after allegedly trading political favors for money and luxury goods including gold bars and a Mercedes convertible.
She faces up to 45 years behind bars if convicted in the trial, which is set to begin in July.
The mother of two confessed to her close circle of friends that she fully expects to lose the case and head to prison because she doesn't have the funds to cover her legal expenses, those in her social circle told the New York Post.
Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Kim De Paola told theoutlet that Arslanian "has said that she thinks she is going to jail.”
Arslanian's lawyers withdrew from her case earlier this month after postponing the trial to July because of her "serious medical condition."
Menendez's legal defense fund has paid for much of the couple's legal costs, but may not cover the final bills. Arslanian is expected to be tried separately from her husband, and Menendez, 70, may “inculpate” her in his trial, according to the Post.
Despite this, they remain married and live together in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Their home was raided by the FBI in June 2022, leading to the charges against Menendez, Arslanian, and three others for an alleged scheme involving political favors and conspiracy to act as agents for foreign governments.
De Paola, who mingled with the couple at social events, said those who knew the pair had little sympathy for their situation and were hardly shocked to find out Menendez could implicate his wife, per the Post.
“Everyone despises Menendez,” the former Bravo star said. “And any man who throws his wife under the bus does not deserve any respect."
“In New Jersey, men will stand by their women," De Paola continued. "Like he didn’t know what was going on! To throw a woman under the bus like that is disgusting.”
But she also characterized Arslanian as "provocative" and "trashy," and said that when it came to romance, she was always looking for the “next best thing.”
“When she used to come to my events, she had her boobs hanging to her knees,” De Paolo said.
Arslanian and her first husband,Raffi Arslanian,split in 2005 after the couple had two children together. She moved on to Douglas Anton, the lawyer who represented disgraced singer R. Kelly during his sex trafficking trial in 2021.
Menendez's wife also faced legal scrutiny after a 2018 car crash in Bogota, NJ, that resulted in a man's death. She was driving the Mercedes convertible involved in the upcoming case.
Arslanian was not charged in connection to the deadly accident after police investigated and determined no criminal conduct was involved.