For several months, Menandes has been under criminal investigation to investigate whether he and his wife improperly received cash and gifts from the owner of IS EG Halal, a halal meat company in Edgewater. Mercedes and the company owner deny any wrongdoing.
In 2015, Menendes was accused of federal corruption by illegally accepting the benefits of a Florida ophthalmologist, including taking a private plane, staying three nights at a five-star hotel in Paris, and providing over $700000 in political donations to him and the Democratic Party. Due to the jury's failure to reach a unanimous verdict, the case ended in an invalid trial.