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Nadine Menendez sentenced to more than 4 years in prison for gold bar bribery schemes
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Sep 11, 2025
Modified Sep 11, 2025
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Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Sep 11, 2025
Modified Sep 11, 2025
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Nadine Menendez, the wife of former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, was sentenced to more than four years in prison Thursday for colluding with her husband to sell his political influence in exchange for cash and gold bars.
A jury in Manhattan federal court convicted her after a five-week trial in April. During the case, prosecutors introduced evidence that showed she and her husband agreed he would use his office to benefit the government of Egypt and a New Jersey businessman originally from the country.
In exchange for that and other corruption schemes, the couple accepted a luxury car, cash and gold bars, prosecutors said.
“Today’s sentence sends an important message: Our elected officials are not for sale,” said Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for New York's Southern District, in a statement after the sentencing.
In a statement, Nadine Menendez’s attorney Sarah Krissoff said she believes the sentence is too long, but appreciates it is shorter than what prosecutors had sought.
“We appreciate that the judge took the incredibly compelling mitigation into account, and sentenced Nadine to a significantly lower sentence than the one requested by the government,” Krissoff said in a statement.
Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison in July. He’s serving his time at a low-security prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.
Tagged
Politics
manhattan
new jersey
public safety
Ben Feuerherd
Ben Feuerherd covers public safety and policing for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered federal courts for The New York Post and The Messenger. His work has also appeared in POLITICO, the Daily Beast and NBC New York. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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