The wife of former US Senator Robert Menendez has been sentenced to 4 and a half years in prison for aiding her husband in a bribery scheme involving stacks of cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz.
Nadine Menendez, 58, was convicted in April of 15 counts, including bribery, after jurors found she acted as a conduit for her husband and Egyptian officials, relaying messages and arranging meetings.
I put my life in his hands and he strung me like a puppet, she told the judge, sobbing, before her sentencing on Thursday.
Her husband was convicted last year and sentenced to 11 years for the scheme that also led to his political downfall. Prosecutors had described her as indispensable to the plot.
On Thursday morning, Menendez wept as she addressed the judge.
I now know, he's not my saviour. He's not the man I thought he was, she told the judge referring to her husband, as reported by NY Daily News.
At the time of the scheme, Robert Menendez was the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a powerful role that gave him significant influence over U.S. foreign policy.
Prosecutors said the couple exploited his position to secretly aid the Egyptian government's interests in Washington. They had sought a sentence of at least seven years for Ms. Menendez.
District Judge Sidney H. Stein instead sentenced her to 54 months, stating that the prison term was necessary to deter others from committing similar crimes.
People have to understand there are consequences, Judge Stein said.
Nadine Menendez will only begin serving her sentence on July 10, 2026, to undergo necessary medical procedures before heading to prison, as she was diagnosed with breast cancer after the original indictments.
A 2022 FBI search at the couple's New Jersey home uncovered more than $100,000 worth of gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash hidden in various items.
Fred Daibes, a New Jersey property developer, and Wael Hana, an Egyptian-born halal certification operator, were also charged and convicted for their roles.
Insurance broker Jose Uribe pleaded guilty in March 2024 to charges related to the corrupt scheme.
