Bob Menendez begins serving 11-year corruption sentence

Former New Jersey senator Bob Menendez began serving his 11-year sentence for corruption, among other charges, in a Pennsylvania federal prison.

This Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported that Menendez reported to the Schuylkill Federal Correctional Institution, located in the town of Minersville, Pa.

In July 2024, Menendez, a member of the Democratic Party, was convicted of 16 charges related to corruption, fraud and working as an agent for the Egyptian government.

According to the prosecution, the former New Jersey senator, along with his wife Nadine Arslanian, used his power and influence when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to assist businessmen Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe in exchange for bribes in the form of money and gold.

The investigation into Menendez began in 2022, when authorities found $486,000 in cash and another $100,000 in gold bullion during a raid on his home, which resulted in the prosecution charging him with federal bribery.

After years of investigation and legal proceedings, including the testimony of more than 30 witnesses, the prosecution, which sought 15 years in prison for the former New Jersey senator, accused Menendez of being "leader of a large-scale corruption scheme."

He was eventually convicted in July 2024 and sentenced in January. "Somewhere along the way ... you lost your way," Judge Sidney Stein, an instructor in the case, told Menendez. "Working for the public good became working for your personal good."

Menendez became one of the most powerful men within the Democratic Party.

He has an extensive political career at the local, state and federal levels: he was mayor of Union City, N.J., member of the New Jersey General Assembly, senator in the New Jersey Congress and representative and senator for New Jersey in the U.S. Congress.