Lawyers for former Sen. Bob Menendez are seeking a drastically more lenient sentence for his 16-count corruption conviction than federal guidelines call for, citing his “destroyed” reputation and a life now “in shambles.”
“Unsurprisingly, Senator Menendez’s conviction has rendered him a national punchline and stripped him of every conceivable personal, professional, and financial benefit,” reads the legal filing by Menendez attorney Avi Weitzman, which includes letters from about 120 of the senator’s former constituents, family, staffers and others urging leniency.
Menendez’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 29. U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein last week rejected an attempt to delay it pending his wife Nadine’s corruption trial on many of the same charges. Her trial was severed from her husband’s last year so she could undergo breast cancer treatment.
Federal guidelines call for a sentence of at least 24 years, which Weitzman called “preposterous,” though the Probation Department has only recommended 12 years. Weitzman is seeking 21 to 27 months.