Bob Menendez’s time in the US Senate will come to an end due to a gold bar bribery scandal

In a case that terminated the once-dominant Democrat’s political career, former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez will be sentenced on Wednesday for accepting bribes, including gold bars, in return for favors for businesses in Egypt and New Jersey in 2024.

Menendez, a senator from New Jersey for 18-1/2 years, was convicted in July on all 16 felony counts, including operating as a foreign agent. He will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein at a hearing in federal court in Manhattan at 2:00 p.m. EST (1900 GMT).

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office prosecutors have asking Stein to give Menendez a 15-year jail term. They claim that in return for bribes in the form of cash, gold, and a Mercedes-Benz, he facilitated military supplies to Egypt, helped Qatar, and meddled in local trials of friendly companies.

The prosecution said in a court filing on January 9 that “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.”

The 71-year-old Menendez entered a not guilty plea and promised to appeal. Citing his age, decades of public service, philanthropic endeavors, family devotion, and financial and professional devastation, his defense attorneys argue that the former chair of the Senate’s foreign affairs committee should only be imprisoned for 2-1/4 years.

Following his conviction, Menendez left the Senate.

Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, two New Jersey businessmen found guilty with Menendez, will also be sentenced on Friday.

On March 18, Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, will stand trial. She entered a not guilty plea to the accusations of corruption.