Disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez arrives at prison to begin serving his 11-year bribery sentence
NEW YORK AP Former U S Sen Bob Menendez arrived at a federal prison on Tuesday to begin serving an -year sentence for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt The New Jersey Democrat has been mocked for the crimes as Gold Bar Bob according to his own lawyer The federal Bureau of Prisons substantiated that Menendez was in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill in Minersville Pennsylvania The facility has a medium-security prison and a minimum-security prison camp Given the white-collar nature of his crimes it s likely he ll end up in the camp The prison is about miles kilometers west of New York City It s home to about inmates including ex-New York City organized crime boss James Coonan and former gas station owner Gurmeet Singh Dhinsa whom the New York Post dubbed Gas-Station Gotti for his ruthless violent solutions Menendez maintains his innocence Last week a federal appeals court rejected his last-ditch effort to remain free on bail while he fights to get his bribery conviction overturned A three-judge panel on the nd U S Circuit Court of Appeals denied his bail motion Pleading for leniency Menendez advised a judge at his sentencing in January I am far from a perfect man I have made more than my share of mistakes and bad decisions I ve done far more good than bad Menendez has also appeared to be angling for a pardon from President Donald Trump aligning himself with the Republican s criticisms of the judicial system particularly in New York City This process is political and it s corrupted to the core I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system Menendez explained reporters after his January sentencing In posts Tuesday on the social platform X that were later deleted Menendez criticized prosecutors as politically motivated and opposed to his foreign plan views and praised Trump for rising above the law fare Menendez resigned last year after he was convicted of selling his clout for bribes FBI agents ascertained in cash in his home selected of it stuffed inside boots and jacket pockets along with gold bars worth an estimated and a luxury convertible in the garage In exchange prosecutors commented Menendez performed corrupt favors for New Jersey business owners including protecting them from criminal investigations helping in business deals with foreign powers and meeting with Egyptian intelligence executives before helping Egypt access million in U S military aid Menendez who once chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee resigned a month after his conviction He had been in the Senate since Two business owners were also convicted last year along with Menendez His wife Nadine Menendez was convicted in April of teaming up with her husband to accept bribes from the business owners Her sentencing is scheduled for Sept At his sentencing Menendez s lawyers described how the son of Cuban immigrants emerged from poverty to become the epitome of the American Dream rising from mayor of Union City New Jersey to decades in Congress before his conviction rendered him a national punchline Despite his decades of operation he is now known more widely as Gold Bar Bob defense lawyer Adam Fee reported the judge
