On Wednesday, former Democrat Senator Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. To date, this is the harshest punishment issued to a U.S. senator in a corruption case.
Menendez was convicted after participating in a bribery and foreign influence scheme that spanned for years. He allegedly accepted bribes in the form of gold bars, large chunks of cash, as well as other benefits in exchange for political favors.
Trending Politics reports:
During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein described the case as one of “rare gravity” and denied Menendez’s repeated requests for leniency. The former senator broke down in tears in the courtroom, pleading for mercy as the judge issued the sentence.
“I have lost everything,” Menendez said while breaking down in tears. “Other than family, I have lost everything I care about. Every day I am awake is punishment. I am far from a perfect man… in half-century of public service, I have done far more good than bad.”
US Senator and Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez is sentenced to 11 YEARS!!!!! For corruption. 💥💥
Largest sentence for an active US Senator in American history. 🔥🔥🔥
Coincidence that we are getting GITMO narrative seeding for weeks now?!
This is what… pic.twitter.com/3cAISVU6JS
— Joe Rambo (@BrainStorm_Joe) January 30, 2025
“I take no pleasure in this sentence,” Stein said before issuing a sentence.“You are quite right about your work. You worked your way up to a senator, to the chair of foreign relations committee.”
“You were successful, powerful, stood at apex of political system. All letters are proof. Somewhere along the way, you lost your way,” the judge continued “Somewhere along the way you became, I’m sorry to say, a corrupt politician.”
Defense attorney Adam Fee urged Stein to acknowledge Menendez’s extensive public service history, suggesting a maximum sentence of eight years. “Despite his decades of service, he is now known more widely as gold bar Bob,” Fee claimed.
In September 2023, Menendez, his wife Nadine, and three businessmen were indicted on charges of federal bribery. The allegations painted a sordid picture of a senator accepting bribes—ranging from cash and gold bars to a luxury car—in return for favors to these businessmen and foreign entities, including the Egyptian government.
Prosecutors detailed how Menendez allegedly shared sensitive U.S. information with Egyptian officials and meddled in legal proceedings to benefit his associates. His trial, which unfolded over nine weeks in a Manhattan federal court, ended in July 2024 with his conviction on 16 counts, including bribery, extortion, acting as an unregistered foreign agent, and obstruction of justice.
Menendez is now marked as the first sitting senator to be convicted of operating as a foreign agent. Shortly after, he resigned from his New Jersey seat, in August 2024.