Bob Menendez
Portrait: U.S. Congress Bioguide (public domain — federal government work)
⚠️ All Corruption Flags (3)
On July 16, 2024, former Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty by a federal jury on all counts in his federal corruption trial, including extortion, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent. Prosecutors charged that he accepted bribes — including cash and gold bars — to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
On January 29, 2025, Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. The sentencing judge told him: 'Somewhere along the way you became, I'm sorry to say, a corrupt politician.' Menendez later reported to FCI Schuylkill in Pennsylvania to begin his sentence.
- NBC News — Former Sen. Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years in prison in gold bar bribery case (2025-01-29)
- CNN — Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years for corruption and bribery conviction (2025-01-29)
- Fortune — Menendez sentenced 11 years for bribes of gold bars, cash, agent for Egypt (2025-01-30)
- NBC News — Former Sen. Menendez reports to prison for 11-year sentence
FBI agents who searched Menendez's home found $480,000 in cash, some of it stuffed inside boots and jacket pockets in the couple's closets. They also seized gold bars worth an estimated $150,000 and a Mercedes-Benz received as part of the bribery scheme.