Former US senator Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years in prison for corruption

Former US Sen Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Wednesday after being convicted of running a years-long bribery and

foreign influence

scheme. The sentencing marks the harshest penalty ever handed down to a sitting or former US senator.
Menendez, who once chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, broke down in tears as he pleaded for leniency in a New York courtroom.
"I have lost everything," he told US District Judge Sidney Stein, according to Fox News. "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 a half-century of public service, I have done far more good than bad", the former Senator added.
Despite his emotional plea, Stein remained firm, stating, "Somewhere along the way, you became, I’m sorry to say, a corrupt politician," as quoted by The New York Post.

Menendez was convicted in July 2024 on 16 counts, including bribery, extortion, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. The case revolved around allegations that Menendez and his wife, Nadine, accepted bribes in the form of

gold bars

, cash, and a luxury Mercedes-Benz in exchange for political favours benefiting Egypt and Qatar.

Federal agents raided the Menendez home in June 2022, discovering nearly $500,000 in cash hidden in closets, envelopes, and even inside a pair of Timberland boots, along with 13 gold bars worth $150,000. "It’s a Cuban thing," Menendez’s sister testified in an attempt to explain why the senator kept such large sums of cash at home, according to The New York Post.
The conviction made Menendez the first US senator in history to be found guilty of acting as an illegal foreign agent while in office. According to prosecutors, he used his position to advocate for Egyptian military aid, pushed for favourable policies benefiting foreign-linked businessmen, and even attempted to intervene in a federal fraud case.
His co-defendants, businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were also sentenced—Hana to eight years and Daibes to seven. Another co-defendant, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and testified against Menendez, detailing how he gifted Nadine Menendez a Mercedes-Benz in exchange for political favours.
Outside the courthouse, Menendez lashed out at the justice system, calling his conviction a "witch hunt." He went further, making a direct appeal to former President Donald Trump, stating, "President Trump was right. This process is political and is corrupted to its core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system," reported Fox News.
Menendez, who voted twice to impeach Trump, has reportedly been lobbying for a pardon from the former president, though Trump has not commented on the case.
What's next?
Judge Stein ordered Menendez to report to federal prison by June 6. His wife, Nadine, is set to go on trial in March after her case was delayed due to a breast cancer diagnosis. Prosecutors had initially sought a 15-year sentence for Menendez, arguing that he "put his high office up for sale" and engaged in a corruption scheme of "stunning brazenness," according to Fox News.
Despite the guilty verdict, Menendez has vowed to appeal, maintaining his innocence. His fall from grace, however, appears complete—once a powerful senator, he is now widely known by his infamous nickname: "Gold Bar Bob."