A New York jury began its deliberations around 2 p.m. Friday in the bribery trial of Sen. Bob Menendez in New York City after a judge finished reading them instructions on the law.
Over a 9-week trial, federal prosecutors in New York have sought to convince the jury that the New Jersey Democrat and his wife took bribes of gold, cash and a Mercedes-Benz convertible from three businessmen from 2018 to 2023 in exchange for a variety of corrupt acts.
They say some of the bribes were for taking actions that benefited the government of Egypt, including helping it access U.S. military aid. Prosecutors also say Menendez, 70, interfered with multiple criminal investigations and helped a business associate protect a contract awarded by the Egyptian government.
Menendez's lawyers have argued that the senator did nothing wrong in his dealings with the businessmen and that nearly $150,000 in gold bars and over $480,000 in cash found at the couple's Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home in a 2022 FBI raid were not bribe proceeds.
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Two of the businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, are on trial with Menendez. His wife’s trial has been postponed while she recovers from breast cancer surgery. All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Menendez did not testify, but he has insisted publicly that he took no bribes and did no special favors for Egypt.
Judge Sidney H. Stein instructed the jury on the law Friday morning so they would have a roadmap to follow during their deliberations. American citizens may act as agents of a foreign government, but not public officials like sitting U.S. senators.
To reach a verdict, jurors were expected to sift through the testimony of numerous witnesses, along with hundreds of emails, text messages, financial records and other documents, including some which prosecutors say show that serial numbers on some of the gold bars prove that they came from the businessmen.
The jury is also expected to consider the testimony of Jose Uribe, a businessman who pleaded guilty to charges in a cooperation deal with the government. Uribe testified that he helped Nadine Menendez, the senator's wife, get a luxury car in exchange for her husband’s help pressuring prosecutors to change the way they were handling criminal investigations involving two of Uribe’s associates.
Menendez is also accused of trying to use his clout to influence a criminal case involving Daibes, who faces bank fraud charges.
Among witnesses called by the defense was Menendez's sister, Caridad Gonzalez, who recalled how family members fled Cuba in 1951 with only the cash they had hidden in a grandfather's clock before moving to New York City, where the future senator was born. He was raised across the Hudson River in the New Jersey cities of Hoboken and Union City.
Menendez's lawyers have argued that it was not unusual for the senator to store large amounts of cash at home given his family's history.
