Former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez reported to prison Tuesday to begin serving an 11-year federal sentence following his conviction on bribery and corruption charges.
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to Scripps News that Menendez has been taken to FCI Schuylkill, a medium-security facility located in Minersville, Pennsylvania. It comes after a federal appeals court denied his request to remain free on bail.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Ex-New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years in prison in bribery case
Over the course of a nine-week trial in 2024, prosecutors argued that Menendez abused his power as a senator in exchange for bribes from three New Jersey businessmen between 2018 and 2022. He was also accused of acting as a foreign agent for the government of Egypt.
During an investigation in 2022, investigators said they reviewed Menendez's email accounts and searched his home, where they found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars.
Menendez's defense team argued that the gold was inherited by his wife Nadine and that he had a habit of storing cash at home because it's something his family did after they immigrated in 1951 to the U.S. from Cuba.
Menendez, 71, was found guilty on all counts in July of 2024. He was convicted on 16 charges, including bribery, fraud, extortion and obstruction of justice. In August of the same year, he resigned from Congress.
