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Former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday for corruption. He was convicted of using his office for personal gain, accepting bribes like gold bars and a luxury car.
Two businessmen who bribed Menendez have already received their sentences. Wael Hana was sentenced to eight years and Fred Daibes to seven.
Menendez, 71, could face decades in prison. He was found guilty on all 16 counts last year, becoming the first sitting U.S. Senator convicted of acting as a foreign agent.
Sentencing guidelines suggest 24 to 30 years, but the U.S. Probation Office recommended 12 years.
Prosecutors are pushing for 15 years, citing the seriousness of his crimes and abuse of power. They emphasized the unprecedented nature of the case, involving a Senator’s leadership position on a committee and acting as a foreign agent.
Menendez’s lawyers are requesting leniency, suggesting home detention and community service instead of prison. They argue a 12-year sentence would be a life sentence for a man his age. They also cited his wife’s cancer battle and his ruined career as reasons for a lighter sentence.
Menendez resigned after his conviction but maintains his innocence, claiming patriotism and denying he ever acted as a foreign agent. He has unsuccessfully sought a new trial and requested his sentencing be delayed until after his wife’s trial on similar charges in March.
The two businessmen sentenced Wednesday, Hana and Daibes, received sentences longer than they requested but shorter than prosecutors sought. Prosecutors argued Menendez helped Hana maintain a halal meat monopoly in Egypt and promised Daibes help with a federal prosecution and support for Qatar in the Senate. Evidence against the pair included Daibes’ fingerprints on cash envelopes at Menendez’s home and traced gold bars.
Judge Sidney Stein highlighted the substantial evidence against Hana and admonished Daibes for using his success to bribe a senator. Another businessman, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty to bribing Menendez with a Mercedes and is awaiting sentencing in April.