Ankara: Former US Senator 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, aged 71, was mandated to surrender by 2.30 pm (1830GMT) on Tuesday at the Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill in Pennsylvania.

According to Anadolu Agency, Menendez, once a powerful Democrat and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was convicted in July 2024 on charges of bribery and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt and Qatar. The charges were based on claims by prosecutors that Menendez engaged in a long-term scheme, leveraging his position to benefit foreign interests in return for lavish gifts.

FBI agents found nearly half a million dollars in cash and 13 gold bars valued at approximately $150,000 hidden in Menendez's home. During the sentencing, Judge Sidney Stein remarked, 'Somewhere along the way, you became, I'm sorry to say, a corrupt politician.'

Menendez had requested a delay in the commencement of his sentence to support his wife, Nadine Menendez, who was also convicted for her involvement in the scheme and is due to be sentenced in September.