(GoRealNewsNow.com) – Once a powerful Democrat, former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez received bad news as he is now facing a sentence for corruption charges.
Menendez has been convicted of accepting bribes, including gold, cash, and luxury automobiles.
As justice looms, his defense argued against a timeline they claim threatens fairness for his wife’s upcoming trial.
Set to be sentenced on January 29, Menendez was found guilty of 16 corruption charges, predominantly bribery and obstruction of justice.
He allegedly accepted lavish bribes, including gold bars, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible, to influence his political actions.
Menendez’s legal team attempted to delay his sentencing due to the proximity of his wife’s trial, but their request was denied.
They asserted that the timeline posed “an unnecessary and overwhelming risk of poisoning the proceedings against Nadine.”
Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein saw otherwise and refused to adjust the schedule.
Besides the denial, Menendez and two businessmen were convicted, with a third cooperating with authorities.
The legal team emphasized Menendez’s support for his wife’s physical and emotional needs during her battle against cancer, seeking leniency in the process.
Nadine Menendez, who faces similar charges, has asserted her innocence. Her trial was postponed to February partly due to her health concerns.
Moreover, the argument for delaying her husband’s sentencing underscores a significant emotional toll.
“Sentencing him during his wife’s trial will of course take [an] emotional toll…to ask him to face sentencing during…a life-threatening disease, is too much to ask of any man,” Menendez’s lawyers argued.
Menendez’s legal battle is a reminder of the corruption that plagues America’s political system.
As a senior Democrat and former chairman of a powerful Senate committee, his actions greatly shadowed his party and the institutions he once led.
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