Bob Menéndez, former U.S. senator, enters prison to serve an 11-year sentence for corruption

Minersville, Pennsylvania.— Former New Jersey Democratic Senator, Bob Menéndez, entered a federal prison this Tuesday to serve an 11-year sentence, after being found guilty of accepting bribes and acting as a foreign agent while serving in public office in the United States Senate.

Menéndez, 71, considered for years as one of the most influential Latino politicians in Washington, was convicted of receiving cash payments, gold bars and other benefits in exchange for political favors. According to court documents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found in his residence about 480 thousand dollars hidden in jackets and boots, in addition to gold bars valued at 150 thousand dollars and a luxury car.

Due to these findings, Menéndez was nicknamed by the American press as “Gold Bar Bob”.

Read more: Former Democratic Senator Bob Menendez Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Accepting Bribes

The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that the former senator is in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill, in the state of Pennsylvania. This is a penitentiary complex with a medium-security prison and a minimum-security camp, where he will serve his sentence due to the non-violent nature of his crimes, according to the AP agency. The prison, located about 190 kilometers west of New York, houses about 1,200 inmates, including well-known figures such as James Coonan, former New York mob boss, and "Gurmeet Singh Dhinsa", a businessman convicted of multiple violent acts. The fall of Menéndez marks one of the most notorious corruption scandals in recent American politics, especially due to the severity of the charges linked to foreign interests and the betrayal of public trust.