Jury finishes 2nd day of deliberations without a verdict at Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial

The corruption trial for the New Jersey Democrat is in its 10th week.

Chris Keating

Jul 15, 2024, 9:03 AM

Updated 38 days ago

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On the second day of jury deliberations in the federal corruption of Sen. Bob Menendez, jurors called it a day after seven hours of work.
The panel of New Yorkers has been working its way through an 18-count verdict sheet - one that takes into account charges for three defendants including Menendez, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes. The charges include bribery, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, wire fraud and acting as a foreign agent.
The jury did send notes to the judge asking questions and clarification on two occasions on Monday.
A note sent to Judge Sidney Stein asked, “Does a not guilty verdict on a single count require unanimity?”
Judge Stein replied that all decisions must be unanimous.
Later in the afternoon, jurors asked about Count 11, a bribery charge concerning Daibes and Qatar.
Jurors also asked, “Does intervening in the federal prosecution of Daibes fall under counts 11 and 12?”
After conferring with attorneys for the defense and prosecution, Judge Stein answered, “Yes, only if the jury concludes the government proved each element of 11 and 12 beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Prosecutors have stated that Menendez reached out to Phil Sellinger before he became U.S. attorney for New Jersey to look into a bank fraud charge Daibes was facing.
The defense has described Daibes, a real estate developer from Edgewater, as a friend of Menendez for over 30 years.
The senator is also accused of putting out information in praise of the country of Qatar to help Daibes land a $95 million investment deal with the royal family.
Daibes and Hana are both accused of showering Bob and his wife Nadine Menendez with cash and gold for help or "official acts."
But the defense disagrees with the accusations. Attorneys have said any cash or gold were simply gifts between longtime friends.
Any help for Egypt in gaining U.S. military aid was simply Menendez doing his job as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Defense attorneys stated, “Resist the temptation to pick the salacious story about a corrupt politician…There is no text, no recording, no photo that shows Sen. Menendez taking a bribe.”
It was seven years ago that the senator was in the same position, waiting on a jury to determine his fate. That time the case ended in a hung jury.
Jurors will return to the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan on Tuesday to continue their work toward a verdict.