Former Senator Menendez Receives 11-Year Prison Sentence After Bribery Trial – One America News Network
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
2:04 PM – Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Former Senator Bob Menendez has received an 11-year prison sentence following his conviction for bribery.
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On Wednesday, Judge Sidney Stein pronounced an 11-year sentence for Menendez after his conviction on July 24th, 2024, on 16 counts including bribery, extortion, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.
His co-defendants, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, received sentences of 8 and 7 years, respectively.
Prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison term for the former Democratic senator.
“As demonstrated during the trial, the defendants participated in a corruption and foreign influence scheme of remarkable audacity, scope, and duration, leading to severe abuses of power at the highest levels within the Legislative Branch of the U.S. Government,” wrote the prosecutors.
The indictment detailed an instance in August 2021 when Menendez issued a press release praising the Qatari government and texted about it, stating: “You might want to send it to them. I am just about to release.”
The next month, co-conspirator Fred Daibes sent Menendez images of luxury watches valued at up to $23,990 after attending a private event in Manhattan hosted by the Qatari government.
Just two days later, Menendez sent Daibes a message containing a link to track a Senate resolution that endorsed Qatar.
According to the indictment, in January 2022, he messaged a Qatari investor prior to a meeting with Daibes, saying: “I understand my friend is going to visit with you on the 15th of the month. I hope that this will lead to the favorable and mutually beneficial agreement that you have both been discussing.”
In May, the Qatari official provided four tickets to the 2022 Formula One Grand Prix to a close family member of Nadine Menendez at the senator’s request.
This same month, the Qatari investment fund signed a letter of intent to create a joint venture with Daibes’s company following a meeting involving the senator, Daibes, and two Qatari officials. The indictment later noted that Daibes “gave Menendez a gold bar.”
Last year, the Qatari Investment Company made a substantial investment of tens of millions of dollars alongside Daibes.
Menendez was convicted of failing to disclose this information in his financial statements, with no mention of the gifts, gold bars, or race tickets he received from Qatar and Daibes.
“Menendez, who took an oath to represent the United States and New Jersey, instead offered his esteemed position for sale in exchange for a multitude of bribes,” the prosecutors stated ahead of the sentencing.
Menendez is the first U.S. Senator in history to be convicted of acting as a foreign agent.
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