This post was originally published on France24
Former US senator Robert Menendez, 71, was sentenced to 11 years in prison Wednesday for corruption after gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were found at his home. He was also convicted of extortion, obstruction of justice and accepting bribes to perform favors for businessmen with connections to Egypt and Qatar. Menendez, who once chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has vowed to appeal.