Former Sen. Bob Menendez reports for 11-year prison sentence in Pennsylvania

Former Sen. Bob Menendez reported to prison Tuesday morning to begin serving an 11-year sentence following his conviction on federal bribery charges.

Menendez surrendered to the Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill, in Minersville, Pennsylvania, about three hours away from his home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The facility houses approximately 1,200 inmates and has a medium- and minimum-security prison.

Menendez will have access to 300 minutes worth of phone calls every month, as well as unlimited email. He is also permitted four visitors per month.

The 71-year-old was supposed to report on June 6, but sources told CBS News New York he wanted to attend his step-daughter’s wedding in Massachusetts. 

Former Sen. Bob Menendez convicted of bribery

Menendez was convicted last year of accepting bribes in exchange for political favors, including protecting New Jersey business owners from criminal investigations and meeting with Egyptian officials before helping the country access $300 million in U.S. military aid.

FBI agents searched his home and found $480,000 in cash, along with gold bars worth an estimated $150,000. and a luxury convertible.

Two business owners were also convicted in the case, and Menendez’s wife, Nadine, was found guilty in April. Her sentencing is set for Sept. 11.

Menendez, who was once chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, resigned his seat a month after his conviction. He had served in the Senate since 2006.

John Wisniewski was a New Jersey state assemblyman when Menendez became a congressman.

“He was always a government legislator, but he was also a political boss, and you did not cross Bob Menendez lightly or without any fear repercussions,” Wisniewski said.

Former Sen. Bob Menendez fights sentencing

Menendez has maintained his innocence. Last week, a federal appears could rejected his latest effort to stay free on bail while he fought to overturn his conviction.

He pleaded for leniency during his sentencing in January, telling the judge, “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 also said on social media a few days ago prosecutors from his own Democratic Party targeted him because he opposed President Obama’s Iran and Cuba policies. Cuba is where the former senator’s family fled Fidel Castro’s revolution.

“Whether or not Bob Menendez liked Barack Obama’s policies or Joe Biden’s policies, the president has even more power than the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee,” Wisniewski said. “It is a little simplistic … childish to say that he was convicted because of that. He was convicted because he took bribes of gold and hundreds of thousands of dollars stuffed in his bathrobe.”

Menendez has also appeared to be angling for a pardon from President Trump, aligning himself with the president’s criticisms of the judicial system, particularly in New York City.

“This process is political and it’s corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system,” Menendez told reporters after his sentencing.

“He is trying to get a commutation or pardon. He is trying to find a way to get out of jail,” Wisniewski said.

Christine Sloan and

Renee Anderson

contributed to this report.