Disgraced former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez began his 11-year prison sentence Tuesday at a federal facility in Schuylkill, Pennsylvania. Convicted on 16 counts in July, the 71-year-old Democrat was found guilty of accepting gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, and lavish gifts in exchange for using his Senate influence to benefit three New Jersey businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Dubbed “Gold Bar Bob,” Menendez postponed his incarceration to support his wife, Nadine, who was also convicted in the bribery scheme and is scheduled to report to prison in September. The couple was seen together Monday visiting a credit union in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Federal agents discovered nearly \$480,000 in cash, gold bars worth \$150,000, and a luxury car during a 2022 raid of Menendez’s home. Prosecutors said he used his position to help secure \$300 million in U.S. military aid for Egypt, influence U.S. policy, and interfere in investigations involving his co-defendants: Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, and Jose Uribe. Menendez had sought a pardon or commutation from former President Donald Trump and unsuccessfully appealed to delay his prison term. He is expected to serve time in the facility’s minimum-security prison camp due to the nonviolent nature of his crimes. Once a symbol of the American Dream, Menendez’s fall from grace has made him a national symbol of political corruption—known less for his legislative achievements and more for the gold bars found in his closet.
