Former US Senator Bob Menendez Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison

On Jan 29, 2025

Former US Senator Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison today in New York federal court after his 16-count conviction on bribery, extortion, conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges last July.

The sentence was given by U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein. While federal prosecutors were seeking a 15-year prison sentence, Menendez’s lawyers were seeking no more than a 2-1/4-year term. According to an NBC report, sources said that Menendez will seek clemency from President Trump.

Menendez, who is 71, resigned his Senate seat on Aug. 20.

Gov. Phil Murphy commented, “Today marks the sad end to a long and largely productive career in public service. Senator Menendez accomplished many things on behalf of our state and our residents, but sadly he will be remembered for putting his own interests and financial gain ahead of the public interest. … I want to thank the prosecutors, law enforcement officials, attorneys, judges, and jurors for ensuring that the rule of law was upheld.”

Today’s sentencing ends an almost 2-1/2-year saga encompassing a June 2022 FBI raid on Menendez’s Englewood Cliffs home, a September 2023 federal indictment, and a trial that involved nine weeks of testimonies from 34 witnesses.

Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, were found guilty of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for the senator using his power and influence to protect and to enrich three New Jersey businessmen – Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, and Jose Uribe – and to benefit the government of Egypt. The bribes came in the form of cash, gold, home mortgage payments, a Mercedes Benz and a low-show or no-show job for Nadine Menendez.

All told, the 16 indictments found Menendez guilty “on the conspiracy to commit” bribery, honest services wire fraud, extortion, obstruction of justice, and the biggest charge, conspiracy of acting as a foreign agent.

While Daibes, Hana, Menendez and his wife pleaded not guilty to the charges, Uribe pleaded guilty to seven counts and testified against the senator.

Outside the Manhattan federal courthouse on July 16, Menendez said he was disappointed by the jury’s decision and predicted he will be successful in the appeals process.

“I have never violated my public oath and have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country,” he said. “I have never been a foreign agent. … The decision by the jury today puts at risk every member of the U.S. Senate in terms of what they think a foreign agent would be.”

At that time, Gov. Phil Murphy, in a statement, said: “Today’s verdict finding Senator Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts demonstrates that the senator broke the law, violated the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office. It also shows that in America, everyone – no matter how powerful – is accountable to our laws.”

In 2015, Menendez was indicted for allegedly illegally accepting favors from a Florida eye doctor, including more than $700,000 in political contributions, flights on a private jet, and three nights in a Paris five-star hotel. The trial, which took place in 2017, ended with a hung jury and federal prosecutors deciding not to retry the senator. However, a Senate Ethics Committee “severely admonished” Menendez. A year later, Menendez was reelected to the Senate to serve his third term.

Menendez’s political career that spanned 50 years.

Born in New York City and raised in Union City, the son of Cuban immigrants experienced his first taste of politics while serving on the Union City Board of Education from 1974 to 1978. From 1978 to 1982, he was the board’s chief financial officer. During this period, he graduated from St. Peter’s College in 1976, and graduated from Rutgers Law School in 1979.

Menendez ran for and was elected mayor of Union City in 1986, serving until 1992. During this time, he served in the General Assembly and State Senate. Upon the retirement of Congressman Frank Guarini in 1992, Menendez won the 13th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 2003, Menendez was elected chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. He was also elected chair of the Credentials Committee of the 2004 Democratic National Convention. During the 107th Congress, he was chair of the Democratic Task Force on Education and the Democratic Task Force on Homeland Security. He was also a member of the House International Relations Committee.

He was sworn into the U.S. Senate on Jan. 18, 2006, taking over for – and being appointed by – Jon Corzine, who vacated his Senate seat to become New Jersey Governor. That following November, Menendez won a full term in the U.S. Senate, running against State Senator Tom Kean, Jr.

Following the 2008 elections, Menendez was appointed head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, where he served from 2009 to 2011.

In November 2012, he was re-elected to a second term in the Senate, beating Republican candidate State Senator Joe Kyrillos.

Menendez served as chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a post he stepped down from upon being indicted. He still serves on the committee and additionally serves on the Senate Banking and Finance committees and many of their related subcommittees.

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