Ex-Senator Menendez sentenced to 11 years in prison for Egyptbribery case

Former U.S. Senator Robert Menendez was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes, including gold bars, in a sweeping corruption case linked to Egypt and New Jersey businessmen.

Federal Judge Sidney Stein handed down the harsh sentence during a hearing at the Manhattan criminal courthouse, following the lawmaker's conviction last July. He ordered Menendez to begin his sentence on June 6, so he could attend the corruption trial of his wife, Nadine Menendez, scheduled for March. "You were successful, you were powerful. You stood at the top of our political system," Judge Stein said. "I don't know what led you to commit these crimes."

Menendez, a former influential Democratic senator from New Jersey who represented the state for over 18 years and chaired the Foreign Relations Committee, was found guilty in July of 16 counts of corruption, including conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and obstruction of justice, an unprecedented case for a U.S. senator.

Gold bars and Mercedes

Menendez resigned from the Senate in August and announced he would not seek reelection as an "independent." In an emotional speech punctuated by tears before his sentencing, he expressed being "saddened" by the verdict while asking that his decades of public service be considered for a more lenient sentence. "Apart from my family, I have lost everything that mattered to me," Menendez said. "For someone who has spent his entire life in public service, every day I spend awake is a punishment."

Manhattan prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence for him, arguing he facilitated military aid to Egypt, supported Qatar, and interfered in local prosecutions against allied businessmen in exchange for bribes, including gold bars, cash and a Mercedes-Benz. "There are not many offenses involving an abuse of power on Menendez's scale," prosecutor Paul Monteleoni told the court.

Earlier in the day, Judge Sidney Stein sentenced two New Jersey businessmen also found guilty at the trial: Fred Daibes received a seven-year prison sentence, while Wael Hana was sentenced to more than eight years.

Menendez's lawyers argued that he should not serve more than two and a quarter years in prison due to his age, public service, charitable actions, dedication to his family, as well as his financial and professional ruin. However, after learning of the sentences imposed on Daibes and Hana, Menendez's defense attorney, Adam Fee, revised his recommendation, requesting a maximum sentence of eight years in prison for his client.

Nadine Menendez's trial, initially scheduled to be held simultaneously with her husband's on corruption charges, was postponed after her lawyers indicated she required treatment for breast cancer. Her trial is now set for March 18, and she pleads not guilty.