Bob Menendez sentencing: Prosecutors say 15 years in prison

Prosecutors seek 15 years in prison for former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez

Prosecutors say former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez should be imprisoned for 15 years, after the Democrat from New Jersey became the first to be convicted of abusing a Senate committee leadership position and the first public official to be convicted of serving as a foreign agent.

NEW JERSEY - Prosecutors say former NJ Senator Bob Menendez should be imprisoned for 15 years, after he being convicted of abusing a Senate committee leadership position and the first public official to be convicted of serving as a foreign agent.

What they're saying:

In papers filed late Thursday in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors called for the prison term for the 71-year-old.

What we know:

Menendez was convicted in July on corruption charges after an FBI raid in 2022 uncovered $150,000 in gold bars and $480,000 in cash at his home. Prosecutors say the money came from bribes by three New Jersey businessmen seeking his influence to protect their interests and profit.

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When he was charged in fall 2023, Menendez was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was forced out of that position in 2023 and gave up his Senate seat in August.

In arguments last week, defense lawyers called for Judge Sidney H. Stein to be lenient with Menendez, saying his conviction had "rendered him a national punchline and stripped him of every conceivable personal, professional, and financial benefit."

"Bob is deserving of mercy because of the penalties already imposed, his age, and the lack of a compelling need to impose a custodial sentence," the lawyers said.

Who is involved?

Nadine Menendez, wife of Sen. Bob Menendez, D, N.J., arrives at federal court for her arraignment on a revised indictment in a sweeping bribery case, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Nadine Menendez is the wife of the senator.
Fred Daibes is a prominent New Jersey real estate developer.
Wael Hana obtained a monopoly to certify that meat exported to Egypt from the United States conformed to Islamic dietary requirements.
Jose Uribe is a businessman who testified against Menendez, accusing him of accepting bribes to ensure his company was not affected by New Jersey criminal probes of a trucking company belonging to his friend.

Two businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were convicted alongside Menendez, while a third pleaded guilty and testified at the trial in July.

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of at least 10 years for Hana and nine years for Daibes, saying the crimes took place between 2018 and 2022.

Prosecutors described the case as a "historical rarity" because Menendez used his powerful role on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and acted as an agent for Egypt.

The backstory:

"The defendants’ crimes amount to an extraordinary attempt, at the highest levels of the Legislative Branch, to corrupt the nation’s core sovereign powers over foreign relations and law enforcement," prosecutors wrote.

What is Menendez accused of?

"He corruptly promised to influence foreign relations, including attempting to pressure a federal agency engaged in diplomatic attempts to protect U.S. businesses from an extractive monopoly granted by a foreign nation to one of his coconspirators. And he corruptly promised to subvert the rule of law by disrupting multiple felony criminal proceedings, state and federal, including by influencing the selection of the chief federal law enforcement officer for New Jersey," they added.

With Menendez’s help, Hana was granted the sole right to certify that meat exported to Egypt from the United States conformed to Islamic dietary requirements.

The monopoly that Hana’s company received forced out several other companies that had been certifying beef and liver exported to Egypt and occurred over a span of several days in May 2019, according to trial testimony.

Menendez bribery case: Timeline

Early 2018: Bob and Nadine Menendez begin dating.
2018: Prosecutors allege that this is when Menendez began accepting bribes from the three businessmen
October 2020: Bob and Nadine Menendez marry and move into her Englewood Cliffs home.
2022: Gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were found in a raid of Menendez's Englewood Cliffs residence.
Sept. 2023: Menendez, his wife, and the three businessmen face bribery charges
May 15: Jurors began hearing opening statements.
July 8: Closing arguments began.