Nadine Menendez, wife of former Sen. Bob Menendez (R-New Jersey), lashed out at her husband as a manipulative liar while being sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for bribery.
U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein handed down the sentence following her April conviction for conspiring with her husband between 2018 and 2023 in multiple corrupt schemes, including accepting gold bars as bribes tied to aiding the Egyptian government.
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Bob and Nadine Menendez were first charged in September 2023 with corruption and bribery. On June 17, the former senator began serving his 11-year prison term at a federal facility in Pennsylvania.
Speaking tearfully before the judge, Nadine said, “I put my life in his hands and he strung me like a puppet. The blindfold is off. I now know he’s not my savior. He’s not the man I thought he was.” Despite the harsh words, she later told reporters outside the courthouse that she does not plan to divorce him.
Judge Stein described her as “the true force behind the conspiracies,” rejecting her lawyer Sarah Krissoff’s argument that she was merely an innocent observer. “You knew what you were doing. Your role was purposeful,” he told her.
Prosecutors argued Nadine played a critical role in her husband’s crimes, serving as a go-between for the senator and three New Jersey businessmen who handed over tens of thousands of dollars in cash for political favors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz called her “the second-most culpable member” of the conspiracy, after her husband.
While Nadine largely blamed Bob, claiming she was pressured by his influence and stature, she admitted she should have recognized her responsibility. “I would never have imagined someone of his ranking putting me in this position,” she said.
In a letter to the judge, Bob Menendez defended his wife, insisting she was not financially desperate or money-hungry, as his lawyer had suggested during trial.
Along with prison time, Nadine was sentenced to three years of supervised release. Judge Stein said he granted some leniency due to her difficult upbringing in Lebanon, past abusive relationships, and her age, but stressed a prison sentence was needed for deterrence. “People have to understand there are consequences,” he said.
Nadine will not report to prison until July 10 of next year to allow her to complete medical treatments. Federal prosecutors did not object to the delay, though they had sought at least seven years.
Her attorney, Krissoff, had requested only a year in prison, citing her client’s health concerns. Prosecutors countered that her condition did not excuse her role in years of corruption. “Her choices are what caused that conduct,” Pomerantz said.
Following sentencing, Krissoff confirmed Nadine plans to appeal.
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