Nadine Menendez, wife of convicted former U.S. Senator Bob Menendezwas sentenced Thursday to 4.5 years in prison for selling powerful New Jersey politicians in exchange for bribes in cash, gold bars and luxury cars.
U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein was convicted in April between 2018 and 2023 with her husband, former Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, some involved in assisting the Egyptian government.
In addition to her prison time, Stein also sentenced her to three years of supervised release. He said he gave leniency in part because of her hard childhood in Lebanon, her abusive romantic partner, her health and age.
Stan said prison term is important for general deterrence purposes. “People have to understand the consequences,” he said.
Prosecutors asked her to serve at least seven years in prison, while the probation department recommended eight years in prison. Menendez’s attorney Sarah Krissoff asked her to serve in prison for one year, citing that she had difficulty recovering from breast cancer, which was diagnosed before last year’s trial and she will be trial with her husband. She was eventually tried alone.
Bob Menendez, 71, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted last year on charges of bribery, extortion and acting as an agent of the Egyptian government.
Before the verdict was announced, a crying Nadine Menendez spoke to the court, partially accusing her husband of saying she was deceived by his ability and figure and that she felt compelled to do whatever he wanted, such as calling or meeting with some people.
“I would never imagine his ranking putting me in this position,” she said, admitting that in retrospect, she was an adult woman who should know better.
Nadine Menendez wiped her tears and described her husband as a manipulative liar.
“I took my life in his hands, and he stroked me like a puppet.” “Monford has been closed. I now know that he is not my savior. He is not the man I thought he is.”
Before the hearing, Bob Menendez submitted a letter to the judge saying he regretted that he did not fully predict the lawyer’s evaluation of his wife during the trial and ended the debate.
“It is wrong to suggest that Nadine is hungry or financially demanded, so it is to ask for help,” he wrote.
Prosecutors say Nadine Menendez plays an important and critical role in her husband’s crimes New Jersey The businessman who paid him tens of thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for his political influence.
In a 2022 FBI raid on the couple’s New Jersey home, investigators found $480,000 in cash, an estimated $150,000 worth of gold bars and a luxury convertible in the garage.
The senator will also meet with Egyptian intelligence officials and facilitate the country’s access to U.S. military aid, a complex effort to help his bribe colleagues, one of whom had business dealings with the Egyptian government, prosecutors said.
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