Former Senator Bob Menendez was sentenced on Wednesday to 11 years in prison after being found guilty of accepting bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, and acting as an agent for the Egyptian government.
The sentence marks the final act in Menendez’s downfall, who was sentenced last July for enriching himself through a series of corrupt acts.
Prosecutors stated that in exchange for gold, thousands of dollars, and a luxury car, the Democrat attempted to protect associates from criminal investigations, met with Egyptian intelligence officials, and took steps to help Egypt gain access to U.S. military aid worth millions of dollars.
Menendez, 71, has previously declared that he will appeal the decision.
Earlier on Wednesday, Judge Sidney H. Stein sentenced Fred Daibes, 67, one of two New Jersey businessmen who was found guilty of giving bribes to Senator Menendez, to seven years in prison.
Prosecutors had requested a nine-year prison sentence for him, while his lawyers argued that he should be sentenced to less than two years in prison.
The judge also fined Daibes, a real estate investor, $1.75 million.
Before the sentence was pronounced, Daibes, tearfully, told the judge that the jury’s decision was “borderline a death sentence,” urging him to show mercy so that he could care for his 30-year-old autistic son.
Judge Stein also imposed an eight-year prison sentence on the second businessman, Wael Hana, and fined him $1.25 million.
Before the sentence, Hana told the judge he was innocent. He added that he had never bribed Senator Menendez or sought his services.
A third businessman pleaded guilty and testified against Menendez in court last year.
Menendez resigned from the Senate after being found guilty last year.
He lost much of his power in the fall of 2023, when the accusations against him became public, and was forced to resign from his prominent position as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
