Former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes—including gold bars, cash, and luxury gifts—in exchange for political favors benefiting Egypt and New Jersey businessmen.

U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein delivered the sentence in a Manhattan federal court, months after a jury found Menendez guilty on 16 felony counts, including bribery, fraud, and acting as a foreign agent—an unprecedented charge for a sitting senator.

“You were successful, powerful. You stood at the apex of our political system,” Stein told Menendez during sentencing. “I don’t know what led you to commit these crimes.”

Menendez, 71, had served as a Democratic senator from New Jersey for nearly two decades, chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before his resignation in August, one month after his conviction.

In a tearful plea for leniency, Menendez said he was “chastened” by the verdict and asked the court to consider his decades of public service. However, prosecutors had pushed for a 15-year sentence, arguing that his corruption severely undermined public trust.

“There are not many offenses involving an abuse of power on the scale of Menendez’s,” prosecutor Paul Monteleoni told the court.

Menendez was found guilty of using his political influence to shape U.S. military aid to Egypt, assist Qatari interests, and interfere in local prosecutions of allies. In return, he received lavish bribes, including a luxury Mercedes-Benz.

The judge ordered Menendez to report to prison on June 6, allowing him to be present for his wife Nadine Menendez’s upcoming corruption trial, scheduled for March 18. She has pleaded not guilty, with her trial delayed due to treatment for breast cancer.

Earlier in the day, two New Jersey businessmen convicted in the bribery scheme were also sentenced. Real estate developer Fred Daibes received seven years in prison, while Wael Hana, accused of facilitating payments from Egyptian interests, was sentenced to just over eight years.

Menendez’s defense team initially sought a sentence of no more than 2¼ years, citing his age, financial ruin, and years of public service. After learning of the sentences given to his co-conspirators, his attorneys revised their request to a maximum of eight years.

Despite the plea for a lighter sentence, Judge Stein imposed a harsher punishment, marking the downfall of Menendez’s decades-long political career.