Ex-senator Menendez to begin 11-year prison sentence in June As co-defendants behind bars

Former US Senator Bob Menendez is expected to surrender to federal prison on June 17 to begin serving an 11-year sentence following his conviction in a sweeping bribery scheme involving nearly $1 million in cash, gold bars, and luxury items.

Menendez, 71, will report to the Federal Correctional Institution in Schuylkill, located in Minersville, Pennsylvania. His surrender date was delayed by 11 days to allow him to attend his stepdaughter’s wedding in Massachusetts, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Two of Menendez’s co-defendants, New Jersey developer Fred Daibes and businessman Wael “Will” Hana, reported to FCI Fairton in southern New Jersey early on May 20 to begin serving their sentences. Daibes was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $1.75 million, while Hana received an eight-year sentence and a $1.25 million fine.

Menendez, Daibes, and Hana were convicted in July 2024 on 16 counts related to a long-running corruption scheme. A third businessman, former insurance executive Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty earlier and testified against the others as part of a cooperation agreement. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 4, 2025.

Federal prosecutors alleged that the former senator accepted bribes in exchange for political favours, including acting on behalf of the Egyptian government and attempting to influence the US Attorney’s Office in New Jersey. Among the favours sought were efforts to secure a monopoly for Hana’s halal meat export business and to derail a federal bank fraud investigation involving Daibes.

The investigation culminated in an FBI raid on the Menendez residence in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, in 2022, where agents recovered $480,000 in cash, $150,000 worth of gold bars, and a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible gifted to Nadine.

Nadine Arslanian was convicted in April 2025 on 15 counts, including bribery and obstruction of justice. Her trial had been postponed due to breast cancer treatment. She is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11, 2025.

By Sabina Mammadli