Former US Senator Bob Menendez given 11-year prison sentence for bribery

Former New Jersey senator Robert Menendez received an 11-year prison sentence for bribery schemes that included receiving gold bars in exchange for favors on behalf of Egypt.

Menendez testified in a dizzying testimony on Wednesday in which he claimed all of his loved ones had lost their support as a result of the corruption charges against him in Manhattan’s federal court.

“For someone who spent his entire life in public service, every day I’m awake is a punishment”, Menendez, a Democrat, said.

Menendez was once a powerful figure in US politics, chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He also gained a reputation as a vocal supporter of hawkish foreign policies, for instance, when he joined the Democratic Party in opposing a 2015 agreement that would impose sanctions on Iran.

However, a court found him guilty of using influence to exchange money, gold, and even a Mercedes-Benz car for him in July 2024.

“You were successful, powerful. You stood at the apex of our political system”, US District Judge Sidney Stein said at Wednesday’s sentencing hearing.

“Somewhere along the way, and I don’t know when it was, you lost your way, and working for your good turned into working for your good,” said one employee.

Menendez, for his part, appealed to the court for mercy, citing his record in public service.

“You really don’t know the man you are about to sentence”, Menendez tearfully told Stein in the courtroom.

“Your honour, I am far from a perfect man. I have made more than my share of mistakes and bad decisions”, he added. “I’ve done far more good than bad. I ask you, Your Honour, to judge me in that context”.

The judge did not appear moved, stating at one point that Menendez had become a “corrupt politician”.

Before abruptly ending his political career in 2024, the 71-year-old Menendez had spent 18 years in the Senate and 13 years in the House of Representatives.

In August, amid the scandal of his corruption case, he resigned. The decision came a month after he&nbsp, was found guilty on 16 felony corruption charges.

In exchange for this slew of bribes, Menendez, who took the oath to represent the United States and the State of New Jersey, put his high office up for sale, according to prosecutors in a court filing on January 9. They had requested a 15-year prison sentence.

Earlier on Wednesday, Menendez’s two co-defendants, New Jersey businessmen Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, were sentenced respectively to seven and more than eight years in prison.