Jury ends first day of deliberations in Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial without a verdict
Sen. Bob Menendez is on trial for alleged bribery.
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The jury deciding the fate of Sen. Robert Menendez started deliberating for three hours before stopping work for the day without a verdict. They will return on Monday.
It is the first time the panel of New Yorkers is allowed to speak with one another about all the evidence they’ve heard and seen during the trial.
Earlier in the day jurors were instructed by Judge Sidney Stein that their “function is to weigh the evidence…You must reach a unanimous verdict on each charge.”
Stein then helped them to decipher the verdict sheet which charges Menendez and two other defendants with bribery, conspiracy, obstruction and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt.
This is the ninth week of this federal trial. Jurors have heard all about Menendez, his wife Nadine, Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe - the major players in what federal prosecutors allege was a wide-ranging bribery scheme taking place from 2018 to 2022.
In arguing its case, the prosecution told jurors that Menendez put his power up for sale, reminding them that the FBI, “found envelopes of cash stuffed in bags. They found a Mercedes-Benz in the garage and they found gold bars…You learned they were bribes.”
Prosecutors added, “His wife Nadine was his go-between, always keeping him informed.”
Those comments - a reference to the cash, gold, the car and evidence of a mortgage payment - were found in the couple’s home.
In return, there are accusations of favors or official acts by the senator.
Daibes allegedly got help with a bank fraud case. Hanna had an alleged deal with Egypt to certify Halal meat. And Uribe got help to stop a prosecution against a close friend.
But in the words of Hana’s defense attorney Lawrence Lustberg, “The government got it wrong.” He said, these were all gifts to Nadine who was in financial trouble. The defense says Nadine kept Menendez in the dark.
The defense described the government’s case as painfully thin and based on inference involving text messages and phone calls between the accused.
Menendez’s lead attorney Adam Fee said, “You must acquit because you can’t prove Bob took anything.”
The jury is made up of six women and six men.
Judge Stein reminded them although Menendez did not take the stand to testify, they should not attach any significance to that fact. They were also reminded that the government must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
