Democrat Bob Menendez, the former U.S. senator from New Jersey, was sentenced on Wednesday to prison for numerous convictions related to bribery.
A jury found the 71-year-old guilty of charges including conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and obstruction of justice. FBI agents found gold bars and large amounts of cash at his residences during a raid, and prosecutors said they were illegally obtained in exchange for political favors.
‘Senator Menendez’s conviction has rendered him a national punch line.’
Menendez begged for leniency from the court and fought through tears, but the judge issued a sentence of 11 years in prison.
His attorney, Adam Fee, asked the judge to take into account the politician’s “lifetime of extraordinary public service and personal sacrifices.” He added that despite his career, he was now widely known as “gold bar Bob.”
Prosecutors argued that the former senator and his wife had traded his political power for gifts including cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz, and tickets to events. He reportedly used his political position to favor the Qatari government and to act as an agent of Egypt.
“Senator Menendez’s conviction has rendered him a national punch line and stripped him of every conceivable personal, professional, and financial benefit,” Fee told the court.
Despite the long prison sentence, it could have gone worse for Menendez, as prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence for the disgraced Democrat. His wife, Nadine Menendez, faces trial for some of the same charges as her husband.
Menendez had been excoriated famously by fellow Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
“He needs to go,” said Fetterman while Menendez was still in the Senate. “Menendez is really a senator for Egypt, not New Jersey.”
Menendez was a top Democratic leader and once held the powerful position of chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. After resigning, he said he was going to run as an independent, but he has since abandoned that campaign effort.
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