Bribery Trial of New York City Senator Enters 10th WeekBribery Trial of New York City Senator Enters 10th Week Jury deliberations in the bribery trial of New York City Senator Bob Menendez resumed Monday after a three-hour session on Friday. The trial, now in its 10th week, has entered a crucial phase. Menendez, 70, faces allegations of corruption involving three New Jersey businessmen from 2018 to 2023. He is accused of acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government. The senator and his co-defendants have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors presented evidence of nearly $150,000 in gold bars and over $480,000 in cash seized from Menendez’s home during an FBI raid in 2022. They allege that these valuables were bribes. They also contend that Menendez’s actions on behalf of Egypt, such as promoting military sales, suggest his role as an Egyptian agent. Menendez’s defense attorneys maintain that the senator did not accept bribes and that his actions were consistent with his duties as a public servant. They argue that his efforts to expedite helicopter sales to Egypt and other communications with Egyptian officials were part of his job as a senator and the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The jury is expected to continue deliberations on Monday. A verdict could have significant implications for Menendez’s political future. Despite the charges, he recently announced his intention to run for re-election as an independent. The Associated Press reports that the trial has featured over 15 hours of closing arguments and hundreds of pieces of evidence. Both sides have presented their perspectives, and the outcome rests on the jury’s verdict.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jury deliberations in the bribery trial of New York City Sen. Bob Menendez will resume Monday.
A jury that began deliberations for three hours on Friday is expected to resume tomorrow morning in Manhattan federal court, as the New Jersey Democrat’s corruption trial enters its 10th week.
Menendez, 70, denies allegations that he was involved in a bribery scandal involving three New Jersey businessmen between 2018 and 2023, including working as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.
He and two businessmen who allegedly paid him bribes in gold and cash have pleaded not guilty.
As he left court Friday, Menendez told reporters, “I have faith in God and in the jury.”
Last week, attorneys spent more than 15 hours presenting their arguments, urging the jury to carefully consider hundreds of pieces of evidence and hours of testimony.
Prosecutors in their pleas emphasized the nearly $150,000 in gold bars and more than $480,000 in cash seized from Menendez’s home during a 2022 FBI raid. They say the valuables came from bribes.
They also stressed that Menendez appeared to be acting as an agent of Egypt in several ways.
Attorneys for Menendez maintained that the three-term senator had never accepted bribes and that the actions he took to benefit businessmen were consistent with the duties expected of a public servant.
They said his actions to expedite $99 million worth of military helicopter munitions to Egypt, and other communications he had with Egyptian officials, were also part of his job as a senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a position he was forced to resign after charges were filed against him last fall.
A few weeks ago, Menendez announced that he wants to run for re-election this year as an independent.
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