Nadine Menendez, the wife of former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, will report to federal prison Friday after a judge denied her last-minute attempt to extend her surrender date.
Last week, Menendez’s defense attorneys filed a motion requesting that the court extend her surrender date from July 10 to October 30 to allow time for additional medical procedures in connection with her breast cancer treatment.
During a phone conference Wednesday, the court, which had already provided her a lengthy period to accommodate certain medical procedures, denied the defendant’s request and directed her to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on Friday.
Prosecutors said Nadine Menendez was a partner in her husband’s crimes, helping to collect payoffs from three New Jersey businessmen in a wide-ranging scheme. The defense argued some of the gold she received was not bribes, but rather were passed down from her family or were gifts from businessmen who were longtime friends. NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst reports.
Prosecutors had objected to the extension request, saying they were not told of any delays in medical treatment for the 58-year-old. They added, based on the medical information provided by Menendez’s lawyers, that BOP is able to render any necessary medical care.
“BOP cares for many inmates with a variety of medical conditions, including conditions that were being handled by outside medical professionals before the inmate surrendered. The same is true here,” prosecutors wrote in their response.
Last September, Menendez was sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison for her role in a bribery scheme in which she and her husband, Bob Menendez, took cash, gold bars, and a luxury car from New Jersey businessmen.
Bob Menendez resigned from his Senate seat after his bribery convictions. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and is serving his time at FCI Allenwood Low in Pennsylvania.
