Senator Bob Menedez and his wife pleaded not guilty today to new obstruction of justice charges in a New York federal court the latest allegations are part of a now 18c count indictment returned last week on New Jersey senior US senator prosecutors have charged the couple of conspiring with three businessmen to accept bries of cash gold bars and a Mercedes in exchange for political favors two of the three businessmen included in the indictment pleaded not guilty but the third Jose Uribe changed his plea to guilty two weeks ago and agreed to testify against the others at a trial set for May 6th the newest charges against the menendez's stem from gifts prosecutors say they received from yube meanwhile the top two Democratic candidates vying to replace the senator continue their tug OFW in the county conventions representative Andy Kim on Sunday secured his sixth Partyline endorsement this one in Ocean County that's an area he represented during his first four years in office Kim defeated first lady Tammy Murphy 86 to 133% Murphy though recently landed wins in the Bergen and Somerset Democratic conventions for the June primary and this evening well they're battling it out for two more that's in Mercer and Cape May counties