Disgraced former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez reported to a federal prison in Pennsylvania on Tuesday to begin serving an 11-year sentence after being convicted of bribery and acting as a foreign agent.
Menendez, 71, surrendered at the Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill, a medium-security facility. His final attempt to delay the sentence while appealing the conviction was rejected by a federal court last week.
The longtime New Jersey Democrat was found guilty last year on 16 counts, including taking bribes from three businessmen and using his political influence to help them and the government of Egypt. Prosecutors said Menendez accepted cash, gold bars, and a luxury car in exchange for political favors.
FBI agents searching his home in 2022 found nearly $500,000 in cash hidden in jackets and boots, along with gold bars worth about $150,000 and a Mercedes-Benz linked to his wife, Nadine Menendez.
He was also accused of helping Egypt gain access to $300 million in U.S. military aid and interfering with criminal investigations involving his associates. Menendez is the first sitting senator convicted of acting as a foreign agent.
Nadine Menendez was convicted in a separate trial and is scheduled to be sentenced in September. Two of the businessmen were also convicted and are already in prison. A third pleaded guilty.
Menendez resigned from the Senate after his conviction. His lawyers described the sentence as a “life and death” matter due to his age. Menendez has denied wrongdoing and sought pardons from both former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, so far without success.
Menendez resigned from the Senate last year. Andy Kim ran for his seat and was elected in November.
Since his conviction, Menendez has echoed Trump-like language, calling the case politically motivated and a “witch hunt.”
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.