The Department of Justice is looking for evidence that New Jersey’s senior U.S. Senator Bob Menendez illegally accepted luxury gifts in exchange for overseas government contracts and failed to report them to tax disclosure forms, NBC New York has learned.

The gifts, according to sources close to the investigation, include a Mercedes Benz sedan, jewelry, and a luxury apartment in Washington, D.C. The probe centers around a New Jersey-based businessman who in return for the gifts allegedly received a meat certification contract with the Egyptian government despite having no relationships in the country or experience to perform the work.

Menendez, a Democrat, chairs the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee and would have the authority to marshal votes for such an arrangement. A spokesman for the senator’s office denied any wrongdoing on his part and said “Should there be any official inquiries, the senator is available to provide any assistance requested of him or his office.”