Former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez arrived at Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill on Tuesday to begin serving an 11-year prison sentence for a sweeping corruption scheme that has tarnished decades of public service.

Convicted in January of accepting bribes including gold bars, a luxury Mercedes, and nearly half a million dollars in cash — some of it stuffed in boots and jacket pockets — Menendez, 71, has become the most high-profile American lawmaker in recent memory to be imprisoned for crimes involving foreign influence.

Once among the most powerful Democrats in Congress and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez used his office to shield allies from criminal investigations, influence business deals, and even cozy up to Egyptian intelligence, according to prosecutors. In exchange, he allegedly helped Egypt access $300 million in U.S. military aid and pushed for favorable business outcomes for three New Jersey businessmen.

“This process is political and it’s corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores integrity to the system,” Menendez told reporters after his sentencing, echoing the former president’s often-repeated accusations of a weaponized justice system.

Despite being a Democrat, Menendez repeatedly invoked Trump’s rhetoric and even tagged him in a social media post nine days after sentencing, calling his prosecution a "witch hunt." Legal observers say these statements appeared to be part of a thinly veiled campaign for a presidential pardon or commutation, which never came.

Menendez had exhausted legal options to delay his incarceration. Just last week, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied his last-ditch appeal for bail, cementing his fate and forcing his hand to report to federal prison.

“I am far from a perfect man. I have made more than my share of mistakes and bad decisions. I’ve done far more good than bad,” Menendez told the court in a plea for leniency at his January sentencing.

The judge was unmoved.

Fall from power

Menendez’s descent has been dramatic. A fixture in New Jersey politics since the 1980s, he served in the U.S. Senate from 2006 until his resignation in 2023, stepping down just a month after his conviction. His fall marks a sharp contrast from his earlier reputation as a sharp foreign policy mind and fierce advocate for immigrant rights.

Court documents revealed a scandal that sounded more like fiction: FBI agents found $480,000 in cash, gold bars worth $150,000, and a luxury convertible in his garage. Some of the gold was engraved with unique serial numbers that matched photos found on his co-defendants’ phones. Prosecutors said the payments were in exchange for Menendez’s willingness to use his Senate influence as a personal favor bank.

The case shocked even seasoned political observers, who nicknamed the former senator "Gold Bar Bob", a label his own lawyer referenced during trial.

The case took an unusual political twist when Menendez, long seen as a Democratic stalwart, began mirroring Donald Trump’s legal talking points, describing the U.S. justice system as rigged and corrupt.

According to a CNN report, Menendez’s vocal praise for Trump and public support for his narrative was viewed by some as an attempt to curry favor for a future clemency bid.

That strategy failed.