Prosecutors have asked a judge to give the Democrat 15 years behind bars for crimes that include acting as an agent of the Egyptian government.

Menendez’s lawyers say he deserves less than two years in prison, citing his decades of public service and a life largely well-lived after the son of Cuban immigrants rose from poverty to become “the epitome of the American Dream.”

Two New Jersey businessmen convicted of paying bribes to the senator, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, also face sentencing Wednesday. Judge Sidney H. Stein will sentence them first before dealing with Menendez in the afternoon. A third businessman pleaded guilty and testified against Menendez at a trial last year.