A federal judge sentenced former senator Bob Menendez to eleven years in prison on Wednesday afternoon, months after the disgraced New Jersey Democrat was convicted on 16 felony counts for taking bribes from three businessmen and the Egyptian government.
The sentencing marks the end of the former lawmaker’s legal battle in which he was accused of bribery, extortion, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. Menendez became the first senator to be convicted as a foreign agent.
“The public cannot be led to the belief that you can get away with bribery, fraud, and betrayal,” U.S. District judge Sidney Stein said in court.
“I don’t know what led you to this — greed was certainly part of it,” she 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 appeared remorseful for his actions, calling himself a “chastened man.”
“Other than family, I have lost everything I ever cared about,” he said during his sentencing. “For someone who spent his entire life in public service, every day I’m awake is a punishment.”
The Justice Department alleged the three-term senator and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, accepted bribes — including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible — from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for help with a number of legal issues. Menendez was also accused of accepting bribes to work as a foreign agent on behalf of Qatar and Egypt while he served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Federal prosecutors recommended a 15-year sentence, while Menendez’s lawyers argued the judge should consider alternatives to incarceration. Two of the businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were sentenced earlier Wednesday to eight years and seven years, respectively.
Meanwhile, the third businessman, Jose Uribe, is scheduled for sentencing on April 24. Menendez’s wife is set to go to trial on March 18 for her involvement in the long-running corruption and bribery scheme.
The New Jersey Democrat, who resigned from the Senate in August 2024 following his two-month trial, vowed to appeal his conviction. The defendant’s lawyers argued he should remain free pending that appeal. His appeal could end up being considered before the Supreme Court.
Following his sentencing, Menendez cast himself as the subject of a “political witch hunt” led by the Southern District of New York prosecutors and appealed to President Donald Trump, who holds the power to pardon the disgraced senator.
“President Trump is right,” he told reporters outside the Manhattan courthouse. “This process is political, and it’s corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system.”
Menendez has been seeking a pardon from Trump after former president Joe Biden failed to hand him one before leaving office.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York also indicted New York City mayor Eric Adams for accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish businessmen and government officials to benefit his political career. Trump’s Justice Department is reportedly discussing dropping the case against Adams, who maintains his innocence.
One month before taking office, Trump said he would consider pardoning Adams because he was being “treated pretty unfairly” by federal prosecutors.