It could be their silver lining.
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s stunning corruption conviction could motivate his cancer-ridden wife to try to strike a plea deal with prosecutors, experts told The Post.
The trial for Nadine Menendez, 57, was indefinitely delayed Tuesday because of her breast cancer battle just hours before the Garden State Democrat was found guilty on all 16 counts he faced related to taking bribes — including bars of gold.
But experts said Nadine may never have to face trial.
Former prosecutor Duncan Levin said Bob’s conviction “could potentially prompt her to consider a plea deal because it would provide a more manageable solution for her given her health condition.”
Nadine’s trial — involving many of the same charges — has been put off after it was revealed by the three-term senator that she has “grade 3 breast cancer” and needed to undergo a mastectomy.
John Pavia, a professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law, agreed that Bob’s conviction “increase[s] the odds” that Nadine will cop a plea.
“You now have an emboldened prosecutor who has already found some measure of success with their theory of the case,” Pavia said, adding that Nadine is likely “scared to death” and her side is “behind the eight-ball.”
But both Pavia and Levin acknowledged that one benefit of Bob going on trial first is that Nadine’s lawyers have now had the opportunity to see much of the prosecutor’s case and strategy, putting the defense in a stronger position if they went to trial.
Former Manhattan federal prosecutor Michael Bachner said Nadine’s health could also mean that the feds would be more likely to agree to a deal that comes with little to no prison time.
“Because Ms. Menendez apparently suffers from some serious medical issues, her lawyers may attempt to work out a disposition with the US attorney’s office in which they can either seriously diminish her prison exposure or try to resolve the case in a manner in which they could try to come to an agreement in which the government would not request a prison sentence,” he said.
Bachner said that while Stein can still sentence Nadine to a term he sees fit, but “an agreement between the government and a defendant carries a lot of weight.”
Sources also told The Post that Nadine may be more inclined to take a plea because of her mounting legal bills.
In June, Nadine’s lawyer told Manhattan federal Judge Sidney Stein that she was suffering from “intense, chronic pain” after surgery where “medical equipment [was] implanted in her body,” according to court papers.
Stein in a brief order Tuesday morning said that “the ends of justice” were best served by continuing to put her trial on hold.
Nadine’s lawyers declined to comment.
Bob, 70, faces decades behind bars when Stein doles out his fate on Oct. 29. Initially defiant, the show tune-loving disgraced pol plans on resigning the seat he’s held since 2006, sources told NBC News.
In exchange, the jury found that the senator of 18 years leveraged his powerful position in office to further the interests of three businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
