Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) has started his 11-year sentence for accepting bribes of gold and cash as well as portraying himself as an agent of Egypt.
Menendez is spending his time at the Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill, in Minersville, Pennsylvania. It is a medium-security prison and a minimum-security prison camp, the Associated Press reported. He reported to the prison Tuesday.
Known as “Gold Bar Bob,” the 71-year-old still claims he is innocent of the charges. A panel of three judges denied his motion for bail as he awaits his appeal.
It has been speculated he wants a pardon by President Donald Trump as he has been criticizing the judicial system as Republicans do.
“This process is political and it’s corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system,” Menendez said after he was sentenced in January.
On X, Menendez posted Tuesday that prosecutors were politically motivated. He also commended Trump for “rising above the law fare.” Those posts were have since been deleted.
Menendez was convicted of taking bribes. FBI agents discovered $480,000 in cash in his home. Agents also found gold bars worth about $150,000 and a luxury convertible in the garage.
In exchange, Menendez did favors for New Jersey business owners. This included shielding them from criminal investigations, helping business deals with foreign powers and meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials. This resulted in helping Egypt receive $300 million in U.S. military aid.
At his sentencing, Menendez’s lawyers described him as “the epitome of the American Dream” as the son of Cuban immigrants.
Then, his conviction made him a joke.
“Despite his decades of service, he is now known more widely as Gold Bar Bob,” defense lawyer Adam Fee said in court.
