Menendez loses sentencing delay bid

Former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) will be sentenced on corruption charges next month as planned after a federal judge declined to delay the proceeding ahead of the ex-lawmaker’s wife’s trial.

U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein on Monday rejected Menendez’s request to push back the Jan. 29 sentencing until his wife, Nadine, completes her trial on similar charges. He did, however, delay Nadine Menendez’s trial to February due to concerns raised by the couple.

The former senator last week asked for a new sentencing date so the jury selected to hear his wife’s case would not be tainted by the outcome of his trial. In a separate letter, his wife’s attorney argued the sentencing should take place before or after her proceeding, not during.

“Mr. Menendez’ trial was a number of months ago, and while numerous members of our venire likely will be aware of it, it likely will be a relatively distant memory,” wrote lawyer Barry Coburn, who represents Nadine Menendez.

“Sentencing of a former United States Senator likely would engender such a flash of intense publicity that it likely would be known to virtually every prospective juror in our case, and would be a recent memory,” he added.

Bob Menendez was convicted in July on 16 corruption charges, including accepting luxurious bribes from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for his political clout, and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt.

Two of the businessmen were also convicted at trial. The third pleaded guilty before facing a jury.

Nadine Menendez’s trial will now begin Feb. 5. It was previously put off following her breast cancer diagnosis and surgery but was later scheduled to begin Jan. 21. She has pleaded not guilty.