Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in jail for promoting his once-considerable clout in Washington for gold bars, a luxurious automotive and tons of of hundreds of {dollars} in money bribes.
Prosecutors have requested a federal decide to provide the Democrat 15 years behind bars for crimes that embody performing as an agent of the Egyptian authorities. Nonetheless, Decide Sidney H. Stein mentioned that Menendez’s service, well being and age is why he was given the sentence of 132 months, or 11 years, versus adhering to the rules which have been 292-365 months.
Menendez’s attorneys argued that their shopper deserved lower than two years in jail, citing his a long time of public service and a life largely well-lived after the son of Cuban immigrants rose from poverty to change into “the epitome of the American Dream.”
Nonetheless, Stein signaled {that a} stiffer penalty was seemingly on the best way since he gave substantial jail phrases to 2 New Jersey businessmen convicted of paying bribes to the senator. Fred Daibes, an actual property developer, received seven years and a $1.75 million effective. Wael Hana, an entrepreneur, received eight years a $1.25 million effective and was ordered to forfeit $125,000.
Previous to the announcement of his sentence, Daibes, 67, tearfully advised Stein the jury verdict had left him “borderline suicidal,” and requested leniency in order that he may look after his 30-year-old autistic son.
Hana advised the decide, “I’m an harmless man.”
“I by no means bribed Senator Menendez or requested his workplace for affect.”
The decide, although, mentioned the jury’s verdict was “very, very substantial.”
When time got here to announce Menendez’s sentence Wednesday afternoon, Stein addressed the previous senator saying partially: “You misplaced your senate seat, your chairmanship, and your good identify.”
“At the end of the day, what’s important is the good name we try to leave behind to our children and grandchildren. And somewhere along the way you became a corrupt politician,” Stein went on to say.
Except for the 132-month jail sentence, Menendez was additionally given a 3-year supervised launch sentence.
He’s anticipated to give up on June 6, provided that the decide mentioned that he needed Menendez free for his spouse’s trial. which is able to kick off in March.
After the sentencing, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy launched a press release, calling the conclusion of Menendez bribery and corruption case “a sad end to a long and largely productive career in public service.”
“Sen. Menendez achieved many issues on behalf of our state and our residents, however sadly he shall be remembered for placing his personal pursuits and monetary acquire forward of the general public curiosity,” Murphy said in a statement. “At a time when our nation is deeply divided, it’s crucial that we maintain our elected leaders to the best skilled and moral requirements.”
MENENDEZ SOBS IN COURT
Previous to studying his sentencing destiny, Menendez sobbed when addressing the courtroom. He talked about being a Cuban immigrant and all his political accomplishment working for his constituents.
At varied factors throughout his testimony, Menendez grew to become emotional, particularly when speaking about all his accomplishments. He sobbed when he spoke about being the primary Hispanic chair of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee: calling it “a dream come true.”
Describing himself as a person who has devoted his life to others, a father and grandfather, Menendez mentioned: “Judge other than that I have lost everything I have cared about. Every day I am awake is a punch.”
“I’m removed from an ideal man. In additional than a half century of service, I ask you mood your sword,” Menendez continued.
I’m removed from an ideal man
Former NJ Sen. Bob Menendez addressing decide forward of sentencing
THE BREAKDOWN: WHAT WAS THE FORMER SENATOR CONVICTED OF?
Menendez resigned from the Senate after his conviction final 12 months, although he misplaced a lot of his energy in fall 2023 when the fees towards him have been revealed and he was pressured to give up his highly effective submit as chairman of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee.
The trial traced Menendez’s dealings with Egyptian officers and his quest to assist three males who showered him with profitable items discovered throughout a 2022 raid on the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, house he shared together with his spouse, Nadine.
FBI brokers who searched the home discovered $480,000 in money, a few of it stuffed inside boots and the pockets of clothes hung within the couple’s closets. In addition they seized gold bars price an estimated $150,000.
Prosecutors mentioned Menendez had “put his high office up for sale in exchange for this hoard of bribes,” together with by serving Egypt’s pursuits as he labored to guard a meat certification monopoly Hana had established with the Egyptian authorities.
Amongst different issues, Menendez supplied Egyptian officers with details about the employees on the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and ghostwrote a letter to fellow senators encouraging them to raise a maintain on $300 million in army assist to Egypt.
Prosecutors mentioned that for different bribes, Menendez tried to influence a federal prosecutor in New Jersey to go simple on Daibes, a politically influential actual property developer accused of financial institution fraud.
One of many businessmen convicted of bribing NJ Sen. Bob Menendez with money and gold bars is in plea talks in a separate financial institution fraud case. An lawyer for Fred Daibes advised a federal decide as we speak that he hopes to have a plea deal executed by August to keep away from a trial on financial institution fraud associated counts.
And on the trial, one other businessman, Jose Uribe, testified that he helped Nadine Menendez get a Mercedes-Benz convertible after the senator sought to stress state prosecutors to drop prison probes of his associates.
The jury’s verdict adopted a nine-week trial during which prosecutors mentioned the Democrat abused the ability of his workplace to guard allies from prison investigations and enrich associates, together with his spouse, via acts that included assembly with Egyptian intelligence officers and serving to that nation entry tens of millions of {dollars} in U.S. army assist.
Menendez has insisted that he’s harmless of any crime, saying repeatedly that his interactions with Egyptian officers have been regular for the top of the Overseas Relations Committee, and that he at all times put American pursuits first. He denied taking any bribes and mentioned the gold bars belonged to his spouse.
Nadine Menendez faces trial in March on lots of the similar costs as her husband after spending the final 12 months battling breast most cancers.
Prosecutors mentioned in a courtroom submitting that lengthy jail phrases are a warranted punishment “for this extraordinary abuse of power and betrayal of the public trust.”
“The defendants engaged, for years, in a corruption and overseas affect scheme of beautiful brazenness, breadth, and period, leading to exceptionally grave abuses of energy on the highest ranges of the Legislative Department of the USA Authorities,” they wrote.
Menendez’s attorneys, in a presentence submission, mentioned he had already suffered significantly.
“Unsurprisingly, Senator Menendez’s conviction has rendered him a national punchline and stripped him of every conceivable personal, professional, and financial benefit,” his attorneys wrote. “Bob is now 71, together with his long-built repute in tatters. He has suffered monetary {and professional} wreck.”
New Jersey’s senior senator was discovered responsible of all 16 counts he confronted within the corruption trial, convicted of bribery, conspiracy, extortion, obstruction of justice and performing as a overseas agent — the latter of which prosecutors could have been most critical. The 2 co-defendants have been additionally discovered responsible. NBC New York’s Jonathan Diesnt and Erica Byfield report.
THE AFTERMATH OF HIS CONVICTION
Menendez’s regulation license has been suspended and shall be revoked if his conviction stands. His state pension is in jeopardy. His identify has already been stripped from an elementary college in New Jersey.
“His once broad circle of friends and political allies have largely disappeared,” his attorneys mentioned. “While all defendants suffer inevitable personal and professional consequences if convicted of serious federal crimes, Senator Menendez in many important respects has already been punished relatively more harshly due to his position.”
In courtroom papers, the attorneys described how Menendez devoted a lot of his life to his nation and his group after he was scarred by the early lack of his father, who killed himself when Menendez was 23 after he was unable to repay playing money owed.
They described a 50-year historical past of public service in heroic phrases, tracing a profession during which Menendez was mayor of Union Metropolis, New Jersey, a state lawmaker, a member of the U.S. Home after which a senator from 2006 to 2024.
But he additionally had the excellence of being the one U.S. senator indicted twice.
In 2015, he was charged with promoting his affect to a rich Florida eye physician and entrepreneur who prosecutors mentioned lavished him with luxurious holidays and marketing campaign contributions. However the jury in that case could not attain a unanimous verdict. Federal prosecutors dropped the case reasonably than put him on trial once more.
