• Bribery
• Menendez
• Sentenced
• US

FORMER NEW JERSEY SENATOR BOB MENENDEZ SENTENCED TO 11 YEARS IN PRISON FOR BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION

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  Nicolas Adekeye / 3 months
• 0
• 2 min read

Former New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Wednesday, following his conviction on bribery and corruption charges. Menendez, who was found guilty of 16 felony counts, took cash, a Mercedes Benz, and gold bars as bribes in exchange for helping three businessmen and the Egyptian government. District Judge Sidney Stein stated, “The public cannot be led to the belief that you can get away with bribery, fraud, and betrayal.” Stein added, “I don’t know what led you to this – greed was certainly part of it… But that can’t be it, I don’t think that explains everything. Hubris was part of it, I don’t know. You’ll have to try to figure that out yourself over time.” Menendez tearfully addressed the court, saying, “You have before you a chastened man… Other than family, I have lost everything I ever cared about… For someone who spent his entire life in public service, every day I’m awake is a punishment.” However, outside the court, Menendez criticized the prosecutors, stating, “Only in the Southern District of New York would prosecutors allow a witness to walk away from over 10 criminal charges… Welcome to the Southern District of New York, the wild west of political prosecutions.” He also appealed to the White House, saying, “I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system.” Menendez’s attorney, Adam Fee, argued that the former senator deserved credit for his decades of public service, stating, “For nearly 50 years he’s been a tireless servant of his community, his state, and his country… Despite his decades of service, he is known more widely as ‘Gold Bar Bob.’” Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of at least 15 years in prison, citing Menendez’s abuse of power and breach of public trust. Paul Monteleoni argued, “He absolutely did some good in his time of government, of course… But using his power to help people, it’s what he was supposed to do. It’s what he was elected to do.” Two others involved in the corruption scheme, real estate developer Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, who runs a halal certification business, were also sentenced to seven and eight years in prison, respectively. Jose Uribe, who pleaded guilty and testified against the three men, will be sentenced later this year.