Ex-Senator Bob Menendez Receives 11-Year Prison Sentence
Nadine Menendez, the wife of former Senator Bob Menendez, has also been indicted and is set to face trial on March 18.
Bob Menendez, who served as a Democratic senator from New Jersey for 31 years, has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison due to a corruption conviction.
In July, Menendez was found guilty of accepting over $400,000 in bribes from Egypt and Qatar, which included cash, valuable gold bars, and even a vehicle.
Prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence.
In a court filing dated January 9, prosecutors stated, “Menendez, who swore an oath to serve the United States and New Jersey, chose instead to sell his high office for a stash of bribes.”
They further noted, “His willingness to partake in the alleged scheme so soon after a formal warning concerning similar conduct speaks volumes about his character.”
Menendez’s defense team requested a more lenient sentence.
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“It is unsurprising that Senator Menendez’s conviction has turned him into a national laughingstock, stripping him of any personal, professional, or financial advantage,” his legal team stated. “At 71, Bob’s long-established reputation lies in ruins, resulting in both financial and professional devastation.”
They continued, “His previously extensive network of friends and political supporters has nearly vanished. Although all defendants face significant personal and professional ramifications if found guilty of serious federal offenses, Menendez has, in many ways, faced a harsher punishment due to his prominent position.”
In addition to Menendez, three other New Jersey businessmen—Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, and Jose Uribe—were also indicted. Daibes and Hana were convicted, while Uribe pleaded guilty. Daibes received a seven-year sentence, and Hana was sentenced to eight years.
Menendez’s wife Nadine Menendez has also been indicted, and her trial is set for March 18.
“The defendants participated in a corruption and foreign influence scheme characterized by astonishing boldness, scale, and duration, leading to serious abuses of power at the highest echelons of the Legislative Branch of the United States Government,” prosecutors asserted.
Menendez resigned from the Senate in August and was succeeded by former Senator George Helmy (D-N.J.). Since December 2024, Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.) has filled the vacant seat.
“While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict all the way to the Supreme Court, I do not wish for the Senate to get mired in a lengthy process that could distract from its essential work,” Menendez conveyed to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in a letter dated July 23.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
