Topline
Former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was sentenced to 11 years in prison Wednesday, after being convicted of crimes including bribery and corruption due to a wide-ranging scheme in which he used his political power to benefit Egyptian and Qatari officials in exchange for gold bars, a luxury car and more.
Former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., speaks to the media as he exits Manhattan federal court on July … [+]
Key Facts
U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein sentenced Menendez to 11 years in prison, according to multiple outlets, following a sentencing hearing at a federal courthouse in New York—telling the 71-year-old senator, “Somewhere along the way, you became, I’m sorry to say, a corrupt politician.”
Menendez was found guilty on all 16 counts he was charged with in July following a weekslong trial, with a jury declaring him guilty on charges of bribery, extortion, wire fraud, public official acting as a foreign agent and obstruction of justice, along with conspiracy to commit each of those crimes.
He faced a potential maximum sentence of between 24 and 30 years in prison and the U.S. Probation Office recommended a 12-year prison sentence, according to court filings, but federal prosecutors pushed for a higher 15-year sentence, arguing Menendez’s “conduct may be the most serious for which a U.S. Senator has been convicted in the history of the Republic.”
While the ex-senator’s lawyers initially requested Menendez receive two years in prison, at Wednesday’s sentencing they updated that request to no more than eight years in prison, after Menendez’s co-defendants Fred Daibes and Wael Hana were sentenced earlier Wednesday and received sentences of seven years in prison and eight years plus one month, respectively.
Menendez’s lawyers also asked the court to consider alternatives to prison, such as home detention and community service, citing “Senator Menendez’s lifetime of good deeds and good character, his zero-percent likelihood of recidivism, and the punishment he has already sustained due to his conviction.”
Stein rejected Menendez’s pleas for leniency at Wednesday’s sentencing, suggesting the ex-senator was motivated by “greed” and “hubris” and arguing, “The public cannot be led to the belief that you can get away with bribery, fraud and betrayal.”
When Will Bob Menendez Go To Prison?
Menendez is required to report to the Bureau of Prisons to begin his sentence by June 6, Stein said Wednesday, multiple outlets report.
Crucial Quote
“You were successful, powerful, you stood at the apex of our political system,” Stein said at the sentencing, as quoted by the Associated Press. ”Somewhere along the way, and I don’t know when it was, you lost your way and working for the public good became working for your good.”
What To Watch For
Menendez’s wife Nadine Menendez will go to trial in March, as prosecutors allege Menendez’s wife was part of the bribery scheme, accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes in exchange for Menendez using his power as a senator. Nadine Menendez allegedly helped to orchestrate the bribery effort, introducing her husband to Egyptian officials, and allegedly formed an LLC posing as a consulting company to receive the bribery payments. The trial was initially scheduled to start before Menendez’s sentencing, on January 21, but was later postponed. Menendez had argued his sentencing taking place during his wife’s trial would “pose an incurable risk of prejudice to Nadine,” but while his wife’s trial was delayed, the former senator was unsuccessful in trying to delay his sentencing until after her trial ended.
Chief Critic
Menendez has continued to deny any wrongdoing in the case against him, saying after his guilty verdict that he has “never violated my oath [of office.]” “I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country,” Menendez continued. “I have never, ever been a foreign agent.” The senator reportedly tearfully defended himself at his sentencing, pointing to his years of public service and arguing he’s “done far more good than bad.” “I ask you, your honor, to judge me in that context, and to temper your sword of justice with the mercy of a lifetime of giving,” Menendez told Stein, as quoted by Courthouse News.
Key Background
Menendez had represented New Jersey in the Senate since 2006 before ultimately resigning last summer following his guilty verdict. The senator was first indicted in January 2023, with prosecutors alleging a wide-ranging bribery scheme in which Menendez accepted such goods as gold bars, mortgage payments, money and a luxury car in exchange for him using his influence as a senator on behalf of Egyptian officials. Prosecutors then filed multiple sets of additional charges in the case as it moved forward, accusing Menendez and his wife of obstruction of justice and additional bribery charges involving the Qatari royal family. The indictment marked the second time Menendez had faced criminal charges, after he was previously indicted for corruption in 2015 for a separate alleged scheme in which he accepted bribes from a wealthy Florida eye surgeon. Those charges were dropped after the case ended in a mistrial. Menendez’s sentencing Wednesday took place after the senator repeatedly unsuccessfully asked the court to order a new trial. Stein most recently denied a request for a new trial last week, after prosecutors discovered jurors were shown some evidence that was improperly redacted, with the judge ruling the ex-senator and his co-defendants “were not prejudiced” enough to warrant a new trial.
Further Reading
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