Bob Menendez sentenced to serve more than a decade in prison for fraud

U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein sentenced former Sen. Bob Menendez on Wednesday to 11 years in prison for over a dozen bribery and fraud charges. A Manhattan jury convicted Menendez last July on 16 federal charges in a foreign bribery scheme, including extortion, bribery, and wire fraud.

Before sentencing, Menendez’s team petitioned Stein to disregard the 12-year prison term recommended by the probation department. Putting a man of Menendez’s age and condition in prison for over a decade would essentially be a life term, according to his team’s filing.

Has Menendez commented on the sentencing? The former senator once again declared his innocence outside the courthouse after sentencing and aimed to appeal a number of issues. Menendez described his conviction and sentencing as a political witch hunt that he aimed to appeal. President Donald Trump was right in saying that prosecutions are corrupt and political, the career Democrat said. Menendez added that he hoped Trump would restore integrity to the justice system. Menendez was previously tried for federal bribery charges in 2017 but that case ended in a mistrial the following year after the jury deadlocked.

How does Menendez’s sentence compare with his co-conspirators? Prior to Mendezez’s hearing, Stein on Wednesday sentenced businessmen Fred Daibes and Wael Hana before Menendez for their federal convictions related to the fraud scheme. Daibes received seven years in prison with a $1.75 million fine and Hana will serve more than eight years in prison with a $1.3 million fine.

Menendez’s wife, Nadine, pleaded not guilty to fraud and bribery charges similar to her husband's. She is currently set to face trial on March 18 after several postponements to accommodate her breast cancer treatments and recovery. A third businessman, Jose Uribe, accepted a plea deal in exchange for testifying against the defense. He pleaded guilty to seven fraud and bribery charges and is currently scheduled for sentencing on April 24, according to court records.

Dig deeper: Read my past reporting on the case for more details.