A New Jersey entrepreneur, indicted alongside Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, has entered a guilty plea in connection to the bribery scheme and is now collaborating with federal prosecutors in the ongoing investigation.

Jose Uribe, one of the individuals implicated in the corruption case along with the senator, his wife Nadine Menendez, and two other business associates, is the first to admit guilt and the initial insider to commit to assisting prosecutors.

This development increases the pressure on Senator Menendez, who vehemently denies any wrongdoing, particularly as it unfolds just two months before his scheduled trial in May.

Uribe, by waiving his indictment, pleaded guilty to seven counts on Friday, as documented in court records and a superseding information filing.

As part of the plea agreement, Uribe has undertaken to testify during the trial and cooperate with law enforcement, as outlined in the deal signed on Friday, CNN reported.

Uribe is set to be sentenced on June 14, with his attorney, Dan Fetterman, refraining from providing comments.

Despite calls from fellow Democrats urging him to step down, Senator Menendez, along with his wife and the two other New Jersey businessmen, maintains their not guilty pleas.

The charges against them, stemming from a comprehensive bribery scheme, allege that the senator and his wife received valuable assets, including gold bars, cash, and a Mercedes Benz convertible, in exchange for leveraging their influence to assist the implicated businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

Written by B.C. Begley