Ahead of his sentencing later this month, disgraced former senator Robert Menendez, a convicted drug smuggler and former U.S. diplomat in Cuba who he allegedly tried to recruit as a spy, will be sentenced later this month. Letters of support have been received from former New Jersey mayors who have been indicted on corruption charges.
Last week, lawyers for the 71-year-old Menendez filed nearly 400 pages of legal documents, including letters from Menendez's family, friends and former colleagues vouching for his good character and lifelong public service. It contained more than 120 letters.
The three-term Democratic congressman was indicted on 16 bribery and corruption charges in July after a jury found him guilty of accepting gold bullion and hundreds of thousands of dollars from three New Jersey businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar. was convicted of. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29th in Manhattan federal court.
Two of the businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Dives, were convicted along with the senator. His wife, Nadine Arslanian, has also been charged with corruption. She pleaded not guilty.
Menendez maintains his innocence and plans to appeal.
“I humbly ask that you temper justice with mercy and give Senator Menendez a second chance,” Manuel Diaz wrote in a Sept. 6 letter to Judge Sidney Stein.
Díaz, who attended high school and law school with Menendez, was convicted in 1997 of trafficking cocaine for a Colombian drug lord. He served two years in federal prison and upon his release said Menendez helped him get back on his feet. Diaz was also a donor to Menendez's political activities, according to public records.
“Bob helped me get a job and gave me a second chance,” wrote Diaz, who was also the former senator's first law partner.
“He not only gave me a chance to start my life over, but also helped me on my journey to atone for my sins to society. For 15 years, I worked with a local NGO through its homeless assistance program. I worked to help the poorest members of society.”
Diaz worked there. North Hudson Community Action Corporation; This resulted in Mr. Menendez being paid more than $300,000 in rent on his New Jersey home, as well as millions of dollars in federal grants that Mr. Menendez received in aid while he was a member of Congress. New Jersey federal prosecutors reportedly began investigating the group in 2006.
“I have known Sen. Robert Menendez for over 25 years,” wrote Felix Roque, the former mayor of West New York, New Jersey, who was indicted. corruption In 2015.
Locke, a physician and retired U.S. Army colonel, is accused of accepting nearly $250,000 in bribes from 2007 to 2012 in exchange for referring patients to a medical imaging center in Hackensack led by a criminal network. It was done. Roque was acquitted a year later. .
“As a medical professional just blocks away from where Sen. Menendez grew up, I am committed to continuing our shared mission of serving our community, both personally and professionally. ,” Roque wrote in a letter to Stein.
“His understanding of the health care challenges facing our Latinx community and his approach to addressing them has always resonated deeply with me, and I believe that our parallelism in service to others will continue to resonate deeply with me.” Strengthen the path.”
Mari Carmen Aponte, the current U.S. ambassador to Panama, also wrote in support of Menendez.
“I know him to be a loyal public servant who serves the people of New Jersey and the United States,” Aponte wrote in an Aug. 20 letter to Stein.
When Mr. Aponte was nominated by President Barack Obama to be ambassador to El Salvador in 2009, the Senate Republicans tried to cancel the appointment. About rumors She once dated a man accused of being a Cuban spy.
When the appointment to El Salvador came up, Menéndez fought hard for her appointment to be confirmed in the Senate, where it was ultimately approved.
“His support was unconditional and critical even as my political opponents baselessly labeled me a Cuban spy,” Aponte wrote in a letter to Stein. There is. “He knew the accusations were baseless and supported my candidacy along with the U.S. State Department and others.Senator Menendez also worked with other senators and ultimately supported my candidacy. It was.”
Previously, in 1998, Aponte had declined the nomination to be ambassador to the Dominican Republic following rumors that her boyfriend, Roberto Tamayo, was actually a Cuban spy. allegedly tried to recruit her To work for Cuba.
Newspaper reports from the time detailed how the Cuban-born Tamayo was accused without evidence of espionage in 1993 by a defector from Cuba's Ministry of the Interior, and that spies from that country were using Tamayo. He claimed he tried to recruit Aponte.
However, in 1999, the Washington Times refuted those claims, saying that Mr. Tamayo also had “contacts” with the FBI and that he was a “valuable source” for U.S. investigators, saying at the time that Mr. It was reported that he had shown his loyalty.
Mr. Menendez's children, MSNBC anchor Alicia Menendez and her brother, Democratic New Jersey Congressman Robert Menendez, also submitted a letter to Mr. Stein.
“A legacy of service built over 51 years has been reduced to a punch line about gold bars,” Alicia wrote. “Those who are arguing for a sentence that guarantees my father died in prison are trying to use him as an example. They're already doing that.”
Menendez's lawyers argued for a maximum sentence of 27 months in prison, rather than the 12 years recommended by the Probation Department, according to court filings.
Menendez's wife, Nadine, who was indicted along with her husband, is scheduled to stand trial on her own next month.
