CNN —
Former New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison following his conviction on bribery and corruption charges after taking cash, a Mercedes Benz and gold bars as bribes in exchange for helping three businessmen and the Egyptian government.
The sentencing marks a dramatic fall for the lawmaker born to Cuban emigres who got his start in politics in Union City, New Jersey, and became one of the most powerful senators as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez was convicted last year of 16 felony counts for the long-running corruption scheme, making him the first US senator charged and convicted of acting as an agent of a foreign government.
“The public cannot be led to the belief that you can get away with bribery, fraud and betrayal,” said District Judge Sidney Stein.
“I don’t know what led you to this – greed was certainly part of it,” Stein added. “But that can’t be it, I don’t think that explains everything. Hubris was part of it, I don’t know. You’ll have to try to figure that out yourself over time.”
Menendez teared up as he spoke in court. “You have before you a chastened man,” he told the judge.
“Other than family, I have lost everything I ever cared about,” he added. “For someone who spent his entire life in public service, every day I’m awake is a punishment.”
But outside the court, Menendez railed against the prosecutors who brought the case and, while he didn’t publicly ask President Donald Trump for a pardon, appealed to the White House.
“Only in the Southern District of New York would prosecutors allow a witness to walk away from over 10 criminal charges, including defrauding the United States government so that they can get him to lie on the stand. Welcome to the Southern District of New York, the wild west of political prosecutions,” Menendez said.
“This process is political and it’s corrupted to the core,” he added. “I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system.”
Adam Fee, Menendez’s attorney, argued in court that the former senator deserved credit for his decades in public service.
“For nearly 50 years he’s been tireless servant of his community, his state and his country,” Fee said. “Despite his decades of service he is known more widely as ‘Gold Bar Bob.’”
During the trial, the jury heard evidence that during a search of the senator’s home FBI agents found gold bars and envelopes stuffed with cash, some inside shoes and in a jacket pocket bearing the senator’s name.
In exchange, prosecutors alleged that Menendez pressured the US Department of Agriculture over a monopoly on halal meat certification that benefited one of the businessmen, he pushed through military aid to Egypt and “modulated his criticism” of the country’s human rights abuses. He also attempted to tamper with two criminal investigations tied to the other two businessmen.
Two others involved were also sentenced Wednesday. Real estate developer Fred Daibes was sentenced to seven years in prison while Wael Hana, who runs a halal certification business, received a sentence of eight years. Jose Uribe, who pleaded guilty and testified at trial against the three men, will be sentenced later this year.
Prosecutors with the US attorney’s office in Manhattan asked Stein to sentence Menendez to “at least 15 years” in prison and order him to pay millions of dollars in forfeiture and fines “to provide just punishment for this extraordinary abuse of power and betrayal of public trust.”
Paul Monteleoni argued in court that Menendez had more power than the average senator holding his leadership position in the Foreign Relations Committee and committed a “grave breach” of public trust.
“He absolutely did some good in his time of government of course,” said Monteleoni. “But using his power to help people it’s what he was supposed to do. It’s what he was elected to do.”
The 71-year-old former lawmaker, who had adamantly maintained his innocence, submitted more than 100 letters of support, including from the former president of Cyprus, local New Jersey politicians, religious figures, and constituents.
“We respectfully submit that, notwithstanding his conviction, Bob is deserving of mercy because of the penalties already imposed, his age, and the lack of a compelling need to impose a custodial sentence,” his lawyers wrote to the judge. “Until this conviction marred his reputation, his career and life has been celebrated mainly for his work on behalf of the powerless and downtrodden,” they added.
His lawyers asked the judge to allow Menendez to stay out of prison as he appeals his conviction.
The criminal trial was not the first for the former senator, who was previously indicted on corruption charges in 2015 for allegedly accepting bribes from a wealthy ophthalmologist in exchange for political favors. Following a mistrial in 2017, Menendez was acquitted on several charges in 2018 with the Department of Justice dropping those that remained.
The longtime politician was indicted in September 2023 along with his wife Nadine, but their trials were severed after she was diagnosed with cancer and began receiving treatment. Nadine Menendez has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial in March.
The headline and story have been updated with additional developments.
