Former Sen. Bob Menendez is due to be sentenced on Jan. 29 following his conviction on charges of bribery and acting as a foreign agent. (Adam Gray | Getty Images)
More than 100 friends, family members, and onetime political allies urged leniency for former Sen. Bob Menendez as a federal judge prepares to sentence him on convictions of bribery and acting as a foreign agent, among other charges.
A sentencing submission filed with the court Thursday featured testimonials from roughly 120 individuals ranging from members of his family to constituents to former and current elected officials, including the ex-president of a foreign nation.
“Bob is now 71, with his long-built reputation in tatters. He has suffered financial and professional ruin. And he now is helping his wife battle a life-threatening cancer diagnosis in the midst of her upcoming trial in this case,” the senator’s attorneys said in the filing. “We respectfully submit that, notwithstanding his conviction, Bob is deserving of mercy.”
Menendez, a Democrat, is due to be sentenced on Jan. 29.
A presentencing report recommended Menendez be sentenced to prison for roughly 24 to 30 years due to enhancements for his status as a public official, alleged obstruction, and the purported level of the bribes Menendez received.
Menendez’s attorneys argued a sentence of between 21 and 27 months is more appropriate because the senator did not foresee $884,778 in bribe takings. They claimed the former senator’s wife, Nadine, secured the bribes without his knowledge. Nadine Menendez is scheduled to go on trial in this case next month.
Bob Menendez’s attorneys said twice upgrading penalties for his status as a high-ranking public official was improper and urged the court to use a separate set of sentencing guidelines that would more than halve the penalties Menendez received based on the bribe amount. They also argued the punishments he received because of publicity surrounding the trial “amply satisfy the objectives of both specific and general deterrence.”
“As noted, Senator Menendez has suffered extreme public shame and upheaval, and his finances and reputation are destroyed, likely for the rest of his life. He is the butt of late-night talk show jokes, and his name will live in infamy as the first politician in history to be convicted of being a foreign agent. He will never be in a position of authority or hold public office again. He will live the rest of his days a social and political pariah, whether inside or outside of jail,” his attorneys said.
Menendez’s 50-year political career began in 1974 when he was elected to the Union City school board at 20 years old. He later became the city’s mayor, a state legislator, a member of the House of Representatives, and a U.S. senator. He resigned his Senate seat in August following his conviction.
A prior corruption trial targeting him ended in a mistrial in 2017.
Rep. Rob Menendez (D-08), the senator’s son, urged U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein to give the former senator “the opportunity for his remaining time to be spent with his grandchildren,” arguing his public office often left his father absent during the congressman’s childhood.
“I do believe my father is deserving of a second act, I just want it to be with the people who will always love him for who he is and want to wrap their arms around him whenever he walks through the door. Because that, your Honor, is what being a family is all about,” the congressman said in a letter to the court.
Few other sitting elected officials urged lighter sentencing for Menendez.
Passaic Mayor Hector Lora, a Democrat, told the court Menendez has already suffered enough as a result of his convictions.
“Your Honor, I respectfully ask that you consider the totality of Senator Menendez’s life and career when making your decision. He has done so much good for so many, often without recognition or reward,” Lora told the judge in a letter.
The mayor cited Menendez’s assistance in seeking disaster aid following Hurricane Ida and support of the city’s African American Heritage Festival, urging a lesser sentence that accounts for the senator’s contributions.
Senator Menendez has suffered extreme public shame and upheaval, and his finances and reputation are destroyed, likely for the rest of his life.
– Bob Menendez’s attorneys
Multiple writers asked the court to acknowledge Menendez’s role in U.S. foreign policy when setting his sentence.
Victor Hurlinsky, an attorney and member of the New Jersey State Ethics Commission, urged a lenient sentence that accounts for Menendez’s role in combating autocracies around the world.
“Starting with the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea, Bob as the chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee was almost singlehandedly responsible for the passage of the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014,” Hurlinsky said. “He fought tirelessly for more resources for Ukraine. I remember bringing my mother to speak to him about his effort to preserve a free Ukraine. My mom is his number one fan.”
The former senator’s allies include an ex-president of Cyprus. Nicos Anastasiades, who was president of the island country between 2013 and 2023, credited Menendez with helping shift the nation from non-alignment, adding he helped combat Russian influence there.
“During my many years of presence in the political life of Cyprus, I met numerous leaders and political figures of foreign countries, I assure you that in the person of Senator Robert Menendez was the first time I met such an honest friend who, without ignoring the interests of the USA, made it a priority to highlight and solve the problems of the region,” Anastasiades said.
Menendez and his codefendants have asked Stein to order a new trial because, following their convictions, prosecutors in the case admitted they gave jurors evidence that should have been redacted but wasn’t. Stein’s decision on that request is pending.
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