Pro-Armenian ex-Senator Menendez’s wife sentenced 4.5 years for bribes

A New York District Court has sentenced Nadine Menendez (Arslanian), the wife of former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and of Armenian descent, to four and a half years in prison for accepting bribes in cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz in exchange for helping her husband leverage his legislative powers.

According to Bloomberg, 58-year-old Nadine Menendez was found guilty by a federal jury in Manhattan in April on 15 counts. The court determined that she played a key role in a years-long bribery scheme together with her husband, who previously chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Prosecutors had recommended a minimum of seven years’ imprisonment, citing her role in organising meetings with Egyptian officials, relaying messages, and participating in the receipt of bribes. Investigators stressed that she was a central figure in the criminal conspiracy.

Former Senator Bob Menendez himself was sentenced to 11 years in prison for similar crimes; his sentence took effect on June 17 of this year.

Menendez married Nadine Arslanian in 2020, with the ceremony held at an Armenian church in Bayside, Queens. Arslanian, of Lebanese-Armenian origin, is reported to have influenced Menendez’s campaigns targeting Azerbaijan and Türkiye.

By Vugar Khalilov