By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez will be sentenced on Wednesday over his 2024 conviction for taking bribes including gold bars in exchange for favors for Egypt and New Jersey businessmen, a case that ended the once-powerful Democrat’s political career.
Menendez, who spent 18-1/2 years representing New Jersey in the Senate, was found guilty in July on all 16 felony counts he faced, including acting as a foreign agent. U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein is due to sentence him at a 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) hearing in Manhattan federal court.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office have urged Stein to sentence Menendez to 15 years in prison. They say he shepherded military aid to Egypt, provided assistance to Qatar, and interfered in local prosecutions of allied businessmen in exchange for bribes including gold, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz.
“Menendez, who swore an oath to represent the United States and the State of New Jersey, instead put his high office up for sale in exchange for this hoard of bribes,” prosecutors wrote in a Jan. 9 court filing.
Menendez, 71, pleaded not guilty and has vowed to appeal. His defense lawyers say the former chair of the Senate’s foreign relations committee should spend no more than 2-1/4 years behind bars, citing his age, decades of public service, charitable works, devotion to family, and financial and professional ruin.
Menendez resigned from the Senate after his conviction.
Two New Jersey businessmen convicted with Menendez, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, are also set to be sentenced on Friday.
Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, is set to go on trial on March 18. She has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York)
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