Former United States Senator from New Jersey, Bob Menendez, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted on bribery and corruption charges.
Last July, a jury found him guilty on 16 counts for accepting various gifts, including gold bars, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz, in exchange for helping foreign governments.
Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of at least 15 years, highlighting the “rare gravity” of Menendez’s crimes in court documents.
Menendez’s legal team argued for a shorter sentence with community service.
Before the sentencing, US Judge Sidney Stein addressed Menendez, stating, “Somewhere along the way, you became, I’m sorry to say, a corrupt politician,” according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
Menendez, 71, broke down in tears while speaking to the court before his sentencing. “Other than family, I have lost everything I ever cared about,” he said. “Every day I’m awake is a punishment.”
He also appealed to the judge, asking, “to temper your sword of justice with the mercy of a lifetime of duty.”
His son, Democratic Congressman Rob Menendez, and daughter, MSNBC anchor Alicia Menendez, were present in the courtroom.
On the same day, two of Menendez’s co-defendants were sentenced. Fred Daibes, a New Jersey real estate developer accused of delivering gold and cash to Menendez, was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $1.75 million.
An Egyptian-American businessman Wael Hana,, alleged to have brokered a deal between Menendez and the Egyptian government, received more than eight years in prison and a fine of $1.25 million.
Menendez has repeatedly denied the charges and intends to appeal his conviction.
The former senator, who once chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, resigned from his post in August.
The conviction followed a nine-week trial, during which jurors were presented with evidence showing Menendez accepted gifts, including gold bars valued at over $100,000 and more than $480,000 in cash, which FBI agents found at his home.
Prosecutors argued that these bribes were exchanged for Menendez’s efforts to secure millions of dollars in U.S. aid to Egypt.
Menendez’s defense team contended that the gifts did not constitute bribes, arguing that prosecutors failed to prove he took any official actions in return.
Menendez was also convicted for attempting to interfere in criminal investigations involving his two co-defendants.
A third businessman, Jose Uribe, has pleaded guilty and is expected to be sentenced later this year. Uribe testified against Menendez during the trial.
The former senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, faces accusations of facilitating the scheme by passing messages and bribes between the businessmen and Egyptian officials.
Her trial, delayed for breast cancer treatment, will begin in March, and she has pleaded not guilty.
