Imprisoned former Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez told a judge that he regretted painting his wife, Nadine Menendez, as “money hungry” in his trial.
Menendez, who resigned from the Senate after his conviction on corruption charges last year and is serving his 11-year prison sentence, defended himself during his trial by blaming his wife for the cash and gold found in their home.
The former senator wrote to Judge Sidney Stein in a letter before his wife’s Sept. 11 sentencing date.
“I regret that I didn’t fully preview what my Defense Attorney said about Nadine during my trial and in his summation. To suggest that Nadine was money hungry or in financial need, and therefore would solicit others for help, is simply wrong,” he wrote.
Menendez said his wife had money of her own from a prior divorce and that any discussions about mortgage or car payments that were referred to in the trial were because of fears of a lawsuit after a fatal car crash she was involved in in 2018.
He said she has been punished enough, as she also endured breast cancer treatment during his trial.
“Your Honor, you gave me a tough sentence that surely serves the deterrent value you said was needed. To imprison Nadine would not recognize the trauma she has suffered, how it has affected her and her judgment, and I would respectfully say would not have any greater deterrent effect,” Menendez wrote.
Menendez’s wife was tried separately from him because of her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. She put forward letters of support from medical professionals stating that she would not get the appropriate treatment in prison and required home confinement.
Her defense team expressed the trauma that she’s faced before and noted she’s different from her husband and other defendants.
“Nadine is not her husband, or her co-defendants. Despite all of the Government’s efforts to present her as a vixen, the reality is far from that. She is a deeply traumatized woman,” her lawyers said, adding that “her entire life has been marked by men who have taken advantage of her, and harmed her, in myriad ways.”
Her attorneys are requesting a 12-month and one-day sentence for her April corruption conviction.
BOB MENENDEZ TURNS HIMSELF IN TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR 11-YEAR SENTENCE
“This entire case has been an exercise in deterrence. There is no need for additional specific deterrence,” they continued. “In her late 50s, Nadine is a first-time offender with no risk of re-offending. Nadine’s entire life has already been destroyed — her husband is serving an 11-year sentence, she is a social pariah, and she cannot step outside of her home or go to the grocery store without attracting attention.”
Following his conviction and resignation, Menendez’s seat was taken by Democratic former Sen. George Helmy in the interim. Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) won a full term during the 2024 elections.
