Former US Senator Bob Menendez was sentenced to over a decade in federal prison after being convicted of bribery and corruption. January 29, 2025.
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(New York, NY) – Former US Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez is headed to federal prison. He was sentenced to 11 years behind bars on Wednesday, January 29, after being convicted of bribery and corruption this past summer.
Menendez’s attorneys had argued their client deserved a shorter prison term, saying a long sentence amounted to a death sentence. The 71-year-old spent more than 18 years in the Senate, and was previously accused of wrongdoing in a case that ended with a hung jury. In that matter, Menendez was accused of accepting improper benefits from an eye doctor who was convicted of fraud. Tried in Newark Federal Court, jurors were unable to unwilling to return a verdict.
This time, Manhattan prosecutors brought the charges against Menendez. They introduced evidence showing the former senator accepted cash, gold bars, a Mercedes, and an apartment in exchange for acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. Menendez’s wife Nadine faces a trial on similar charges. Prosecutors wanted a 15-year prison term.
At sentencing, the judge told Menendez he had become a “national punch line.” He also previously served as a member of Congress and as Union City’s mayor.
