ISTANBUL

Former US Sen. Bob Menendez reported to federal prison Tuesday to begin serving an 11-year sentence for a corrupt scheme, according to the New York Post.

Menendez, 71, was ordered to surrender by 2.30 pm (1830GMT) on Tuesday at the Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill in Pennsylvania.

The once-powerful Democrat, who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was convicted in July 2024 for bribery and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt and Qatar.

The charges stemmed from what prosecutors described as a long-running scheme in which Menendez used his position to benefit foreign interests in exchange for lavish gifts.

FBI agents discovered nearly half a million dollars in cash and 13 gold bars worth nearly $150,000 stashed in the Menendez home.

“Somewhere along the way, you became, I’m sorry to say, a corrupt politician,” Judge Sidney Stein said at his sentencing.

Menendez had sought to delay the start of his sentence to support his wife, Nadine Menendez, who was also convicted of her role in the crooked scheme and is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

The former senator has also requested a pardon or commutation from President Donald Trump.