Former Sen. Bob Menendez’s wife sentenced to 4.5 years for bribery
Nadine Menendez, the wife of former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, was sentenced Thursday to 4.5 years in prison for participating in a bribery scheme that exploited her husband’s political influence. Tearfully addressing the court, Nadine, 58, said her husband “is not the man I thought he was” and described him as manipulative and deceitful. She was convicted in April of colluding with Menendez from 2018 to 2023 in schemes that included assisting the Egyptian government, exchanging favors for cash, gold, and a luxury car.
U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein acknowledged that Nadine was neither the mastermind nor the innocent bystander portrayed during the trial, calling her role “purposeful” and significant. Prosecutors said she was the second-most culpable participant after her husband, acting decisively in selling the senator’s influence. Despite blaming her husband in part for using his power to manipulate her, Nadine admitted she should have known better. Along with her prison sentence, she received three years of supervised release and will report to prison on July 10 to complete medical procedures beforehand. Her lawyer said she plans to appeal. Investigators previously discovered $480,000 in cash, gold bars valued at $150,000, and a luxury car at the couple’s New Jersey home, highlighting the scale of their corrupt dealings.
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