Former US senator Bob Menendez was sentenced on Wednesday to 11 years in prison over his 2024 conviction for taking bribes including gold bars in exchange for favours for Egypt and New Jersey businessmen.
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US District Judge Sidney Stein imposed the sentence at a hearing in Manhattan federal court.
Menendez, a once-powerful Democrat who spent 18½ years representing New Jersey in the Senate, was found guilty in July on all 16 felony counts he faced, including bribery and fraud. He was also found guilty of acting as a foreign agent, a first for a US Senator.
He resigned from the Senate in August.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan US Attorney’s office urged Stein to sentence Menendez to 15 years in prison.
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They say he shepherded military aid to Egypt, provided help to Qatar, and interfered in local prosecutions of allied businessmen in exchange for bribes including gold, cash and a Mercedes-Benz.