A judge sentenced disgraced former Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez to 11 years in prison on Wednesday, concluding his trial for a ‘long-running bribery and foreign influence scheme of rare gravity.’
The sentence is the harshest ever handed down to a U.S. senator. Breaking down in tears, Menendez pleaded with U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein for mercy in a New York City courtroom.
‘I have lost everything,’ he said. ‘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.’
Before handing down his punishment, Stein said: ‘I take no pleasure in this sentence.’
‘You are quite right about your work. You worked your way up to a senator, to the chair of foreign relations committee,’ Stein told Menendez. ‘You were successful, powerful, stood at apex of political system. All letters are proof. Somewhere along the way, you lost your way.’
Defense attorney Adam Fee told Stein to give Menendez credit for his lifetime of public service, asking for a sentence of no more than eight years.
‘Despite his decades of service, he is now known more widely as gold bar Bob,’ Fee said.
Prosecutors had requested a 15-year sentence for Menendez, 71, after he was convicted on July 24 on 16 counts of bribery, extortion, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He is the first U.S. Senator in American history to be convicted of working as a foreign agent. His co-defendants, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were also sentenced to 8 years and 7 years respectively.
‘As proven at trial, the defendants engaged, for years, in a corruption and foreign influence scheme of stunning brazenness, breadth, and duration, resulting in exceptionally grave abuses of power at the highest levels of the Legislative Branch of the United States Government,’ prosecutors wrote.
Prior to the announcement of his sentence, Daibes, 67, tearfully told Stein the jury verdict had left him ‘borderline suicidal,’ and requested leniency so that he could care for his 30-year-old autistic son.
Hana told the judge, ‘I am an innocent man.’
‘I never bribed Senator Menendez or asked his office for influence.’
The judge, though, said the jury’s verdict was ‘very, very substantial.’
A third businessman pleaded guilty and testified against Menendez at a trial last year.
Outside the courthouse, Menendez proclaimed his innocence, calling his prosecution a ‘witch hunt’ by the Justice Department.
‘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 integrity to the system,’ he said.
Menendez’ conviction came after a nine-week-long trial. The former Democratic lawmaker was accused of accepting gifts totaling more than $100,000 in gold bars as well as cash.
The disgraced Democrat was accused and convicted of participating in a yearslong bribery scheme involving the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez’s wife, Nadine, who is set to go on trial on March 18, also allegedly participated in the scheme. She is accused of receiving paychecks for a job that did not exist.
The indictment against Menendez came after co-defendant Jose Uribe – who allegedly gifted Nadine a Mercedes convertible – accepted a plea deal and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
‘Menendez, who swore an oath to represent the United States and the state of New Jersey, instead put his high office up for sale in exchange for this hoard of bribes,’ prosecutors wrote ahead of the sentencing.
Menendez, who was charged in 2023, made history in July 2024 when he became the first US senator to be convicted of acting as a foreign agent. His conviction came after a nine-week-long trial.
Jamie Joseph, Rachel Wolf, Maria Paronich and The Associated Press contributed to this report