Sen. Robert Mendnez, D-N.J., and his wife, Nadine, were indicted for bribery today in a case that involves the senator attempting to influence an Agriculture Department official.

The indictment says that Mendendez “improperly advised and pressured an official at the United States Department of Agriculture for the purpose of protecting a business monopoly granted to [Wael Hana] by Egypt and used in part to fund the bribes being paid to Menendez through Nadine Madendez.”

The Associated Press reported that the charges follow a yearslong investigation that examined, among other things, the dealings of Hana, a New Jersey businessman and a friend of Menendez’s wife, “who secured sole authorization from the Egyptian government to certify that meat imported into that country meets Islamic dietary requirements.”

Hana, who founded a halal meat certification business, was among the three other people indicted.