Former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years in federal bribery and corruption case

Former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Wednesday afternoon in a Lower Manhattan court.

Menendez, 71, was convicted last July on 16 counts of bribery, extortion, conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors had been calling for Menendez to serve 15 years, citing "the seriousness of the defendants' crimes, the immeasurable harm they have caused to the public trust, and the need to deter others from engaging in such egregious abuses of power."