The wife of former U.S. Senator Robert Menendez was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for assisting her husband in developing a well-crafted bribery program involving a pile of cash, gold bars and Mercedes-Benz.
Nadine Menendez, 58, was convicted on April 15, including bribery after jurors found her as her husband and Egyptian official channel, conveyed the news and arranged the meeting.
Her husband was convicted last year and sentenced to 11 years to the program, which also led to his political failure.
During the trial, prosecutors described her as essential to the plot, saying she received a luxurious gift on behalf of her husband. They seek a sentence of at least seven years.
During a sentence hearing Thursday morning, Menendez appeared to be distanced from her husband, saying she should “ask more questions.”
She told the judge that the judge was a reporter for the New York State Daily News in New York court and that he was not the savior I thought I was. He is not my savior.
At the time of planning, Robert Menendez was the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a powerful role in his significant influence on U.S. foreign policy.
Prosecutors said the couple deprived of the position to secretly help the Egyptian government’s interests in Washington.
A 2022 search in the couple’s New Jersey home in 2022 found gold bars worth over $100,000 (£80,000) and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash envelopes or hidden in clothes.
In addition to the evidence, federal prosecutors asked a jury text message between the couple and their colleagues and a Google search by former senator: “What is the value of a kilogram of gold?”.
Nadine Menendez was diagnosed with breast cancer after the original indictment, so she later underwent trial after surgery. During the lawsuit, she wore a mask and wore pins during the lawsuit to raise awareness of breast cancer.
New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes and Egyptian operator Wael Hana, born in halal certification, were also charged and convicted for their role.
Insurance broker Jose Uribe pleaded guilty in March 2024 on charges related to corruption plans.
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