Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ.) was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Wednesday after being found guilty of bribery.
According to the USA Today, Menendez was accused of trading his political influence for gold bars, cash money, and other goods with several New Jersey businessmen and two businessmen from Egypt.
Menendez was accused of using his influence to squash criminal investigations into Egyptian businessman Wael Hana and Edgewater developer Fred Daibes, who were also found guilty on all charges related to bribery and both received hefty fines and prison time.
Daibes was sentenced to seven years in prison with a $1.75 million fine, while Hana was sentenced to eight years in prison and was given a fine of $1.3 million.
Alongside his wife Nadine Arslanian Menendez, it was found that Menendez had received “gifts” for his part in directing billions of dollars in U.S. aid to Egypt — this included gold bars and luxury cars. The former senator did not receive a fine on top of his prison sentence, however, Arslanian Menendez is still awaiting her court date, according to USA Today.
Menendez, who spent 18 years in the U.S. Senate, took steps to file an appeal on Tuesday, a day before his sentencing. His lawyers argued that Menendez, who is now 71 years old, is not a flight risk, or a danger to anyone else and his lawyers further questioned the constitutionality of the charges.
Adam Fee, Menendez’s attorney, wrote in his appeal that a “lifelong public servant” should not be forced to wait out his appeal inside a federal prison.
“A man should not be sent to prison when reasonable minds can disagree about the legal viability of his convictions. And a lifelong public servant should not be forced to wait out such an appeal from the walls of a federal facility,” Fee wrote.
