Former Senator Bob Menéndez's wife sentenced to 4 and a half years for participating in bribery

New York.- Nadine Menéndez, wife of former Democratic Senator Bob Menéndez, was sentenced this Thursday to four and a half years in prison for participating in an influence peddling scheme carried out by her husband in exchange for cash bribes, gold bars and even a luxury vehicle from foreign governments. The ex-senator's wife heard the sentence through sobs and presented herself as a victim of her husband. According to what was proven in the two separate trials against the couple, Bob Menéndez, who was previously sentenced to eleven years in prison, accepted millionaire gifts from Egypt and Qatar along with his wife in exchange for favors while he was in office.

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Nadine Menéndez, 58 years old, learned her sentence today in a federal court in New York, where she was already found guilty in April of these criminal practices, committed between 2018 and 2023 along with her husband, who was a congressman and senator for New Jersey for three decades, and also served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Judge Sidney H. Stein, of the Southern District Court of New York, limited the sentence for Nadine Menéndez, considering that she suffered a difficult childhood in her native Lebanon, has gone through toxic personal relationships, and suffers from stage 3 breast cancer. The Prosecution had requested that he serve at least seven years in prison, while the U.S. Probation Department recommended an eight-year sentence. Prosecutors say Nadine Menéndez played a crucial role in her husband's crimes as a bridge between him and three New Jersey businessmen also linked to the political favors scheme.

Nadine Menéndez Blames Her Husband

Before the announcement of her sentence, Nadine Menéndez addressed the court in tears to partly blame her husband, stating that she had been deceived by his power and position, and that she felt obligated to do what he wanted, local media reported. "I would never have imagined that someone of his level would put me in this situation," stated Bob Menendez's wife, according to the press. When the FBI raided his family home in New Jersey in 2022, they found a convertible in the garage, thirteen gold bars hidden in a safe in his room, as well as half a million dollars in bills scattered throughout the house and hidden even inside boots or in suit pockets. Bob Menéndez (71 years old) is serving an 11-year sentence after being found guilty last year on charges of bribery, extortion and, among other crimes, acting as an agent of the Egyptian government to expedite that country's access to US military aid as part of a convoluted criminal network.