Former New Jersey senator Bob Menendez, who resigned in the wake of his conviction on federal bribery charges last year, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Menendez used his influential role leading the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to act on the behalf of the Egyptian government and to aid a pair of businessmen in their dealings. In return, Menendez and his wife Nadine Menendez received hundreds of dollars in bribes, both in cash and gold bars, as well as a Mercedes-Benz convertible. The former senator had previously evaded conviction on federal corruption charges years prior after a jury failed to come to an agreement in the government’s case in 2017, resulting in a mistrial.
In the immediate aftermath of his indictment, Menendez was defiant, rejecting calls from his Democratic colleagues to resign from office and proclaiming his innocence. But before his sentence was handed down on Wednesday, Menendez addressed the court in emotional and tearful remarks. “Other than family, I have lost everything I ever cared about,” he said, per CNN. “For someone who spent his entire life in public service, every day I’m awake is a punishment.”
However, Menendez took a different tone outside the courtroom, telling reporters that the entire legal process was a “political witch hunt” and that he plans to appeal his verdict. The lifelong Democrat also name-checked President Donald Trump, potentially signaling his openness for a future pardon. “President Trump is right. 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,” he said.
Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, the two New Jersey businessmen who were convicted last year of bribing the senator, were also sentenced Wednesday. Daibes received seven years in prison and was ordered to pay a $1.75 million fine, while Hana got an eight-year sentence and was fined $1.3 million. Nadine Menendez, who was charged alongside her husband, is set to stand trial in March. Her trial was initially postponed in order for her to undergo treatment for breast cancer.
