Architect of Sanctions on Russia Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
Former US Senator Bob Menendez has received an 11-year prison sentence for his involvement in bribery and corruption offenses. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Democrat Bob Menendez was found guilty on 16 charges associated with a wide-ranging bribery scheme benefiting a foreign nation.
Former US Senator Bob Menendez has been handed an 11-year prison sentence following his conviction on bribery and corruption charges. He was found guilty of accepting cash and gold bars and of serving as an illegal agent for the Egyptian government.
The New Jersey Democrat was convicted last July and chose to resign from the Senate a month later to avoid potential expulsion. Menendez had previously chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he was recognized for advocating stringent sanctions on Russia, among other policies.
“The public cannot be led to the belief that you can get away with bribery, fraud, and betrayal,” remarked US District Judge Sidney Stein on Wednesday. “I don’t know what led you to this,” Stein added. “You’ll have to try to figure that out yourself over time.”
Prosecutors had requested a prison sentence of at least 15 years, in addition to millions in forfeitures and fines, asserting that such consequences were necessary “to provide just punishment for this extraordinary abuse of power and betrayal of public trust.”
Menendez has become the first US senator convicted of acting as an agent for a foreign government.
“For someone who spent his entire life in public service, every day I’m awake is a punishment,” the former lawmaker stated in court.
Menendez began his political career in 1974 with his election to the Union City Board of Education. He then served as the city’s mayor from 1986 to 1992 before moving to the state legislature in 1988 and the state senate in 1991. He represented New Jersey’s 13th district in the US House of Representatives from 1993 until 2006, when he was appointed to the Senate.
After the initial charges were filed in September 2023, Menendez stepped down as head of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he had been instrumental in establishing US sanctions on Moscow, predating the Ukraine conflict escalation in February 2022.
His attorney, Adam Fee, contended that the former senator’s nearly five decades of public service should not be eclipsed by his conviction, dismissing public perception of him as “Gold Bar Bob.” The defense team has also requested that Menendez be allowed to remain free while they appeal his conviction.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
Former US Senator Bob Menendez has been handed an 11-year prison sentence following his conviction on bribery and corruption charges. He was found guilty of accepting cash and gold bars and of serving as an illegal agent for the Egyptian government.
The New Jersey Democrat was convicted last July and chose to resign from the Senate a month later to avoid potential expulsion. Menendez had previously chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he was recognized for advocating stringent sanctions on Russia, among other policies.
“The public cannot be led to the belief that you can get away with bribery, fraud, and betrayal,” remarked US District Judge Sidney Stein on Wednesday. “I don’t know what led you to this,” Stein added. “You’ll have to try to figure that out yourself over time.”
Prosecutors had requested a prison sentence of at least 15 years, in addition to millions in forfeitures and fines, asserting that such consequences were necessary “to provide just punishment for this extraordinary abuse of power and betrayal of public trust.”
Menendez has become the first US senator convicted of acting as an agent for a foreign government.
“For someone who spent his entire life in public service, every day I’m awake is a punishment,” the former lawmaker stated in court.
Menendez began his political career in 1974 with his election to the Union City Board of Education. He then served as the city’s mayor from 1986 to 1992 before moving to the state legislature in 1988 and the state senate in 1991. He represented New Jersey’s 13th district in the US House of Representatives from 1993 until 2006, when he was appointed to the Senate.
After the initial charges were filed in September 2023, Menendez stepped down as head of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he had been instrumental in establishing US sanctions on Moscow, predating the Ukraine conflict escalation in February 2022.
His attorney, Adam Fee, contended that the former senator’s nearly five decades of public service should not be eclipsed by his conviction, dismissing public perception of him as “Gold Bar Bob.” The defense team has also requested that Menendez be allowed to remain free while they appeal his conviction.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
