
Former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez will be sentenced on corruption charges on January 29, 2025, as planned, while his wife, Nadine Menendez, will face trial on similar charges starting February 5, following a delay granted by a federal judge on Monday, reported The Associated Press.
US District Judge Sidney H. Stein, presiding in Manhattan, denied Menendez’s request to postpone his sentencing until after his wife’s trial, which could conclude in March.
Menendez’s legal team argued that sentencing him before her trial could influence the jury’s impartiality, but Judge Stein rejected this claim.
Menendez, 70, was convicted in July on 16 counts of corruption, including bribery. Prosecutors alleged that the former senator used his political influence over five years, from 2017 to 2022, to provide favors to three New Jersey businessmen. In return, Menendez received luxury items, including gold bars, cash totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible.
Two of the businessmen were convicted alongside Menendez, while a third cooperated with prosecutors, pleaded guilty, and testified against the former senator.
Nadine Menendez, who has pleaded not guilty, initially faced trial alongside her husband. However, her trial was delayed after she underwent surgery for breast cancer.
In the wake of his conviction, Menendez resigned his seat this past August, after having previously said he will not run for reelection but leaving left open the possibility that he could run as an independent candidate.