Jury begins deliberations in Senator Bob Menendez corruption trial

NEW YORK — Jury deliberations have begun in the corruption trial of US Senator Bob Menendezwho is accused of accepting bribes and being a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.

Over the course of a 9-week trial, New York federal prosecutors tried to convince the jury that the New Jersey Democrat and his wife accepted bribes of gold, cash and a Mercedes-Benz convertible from three businessmen from 2018 to 2023 in exchange for of a variety of corrupt acts.

They say some of the bribes went to perform actions that benefited Egypt’s government, including helping it access U.S. military aid. Prosecutors also say Menendez, 70, interfered in several criminal investigations and helped a business associate secure a contract awarded by the Egyptian government.

Menéndez’s lawyers argued that the senator did nothing wrong in his dealings with the businessmen and that nearly $150,000 in gold bars and more than $480,000 in cash found in the couple’s Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home in an FBI operation in 2022, were not bribe proceeds.

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 defendants pleaded not guilty.

Menéndez did not testify, but publicly insisted that he did not accept bribes or do special favors for Egypt.

Judge Sidney H. Stein instructed the jury on the law Friday morning so they would have a script to follow during their deliberations. American citizens can act as agents of a foreign government, but not as public officials, like U.S. senators.

Jurors were sent to begin deliberations shortly after 2 p.m.

To reach a verdict, jurors were expected to examine the testimony of numerous witnesses, along with hundreds of emails, text messages, financial records and other documents, including some that prosecutors say show that the numbers of series on some of the gold bars prove that they came from the businessmen.

The jury must also consider the testimony of José Uribe, a businessman who pleaded guilty to charges in a cooperation agreement with the government. Uribe testified that he helped Nadine Menéndez, the senator’s wife, obtain a luxury car in exchange for her husband’s help, pressuring prosecutors to change the way they handled criminal investigations involving two of Uribe’s associates.

Menendez is also accused of trying to use his influence to influence a criminal case involving Daibes, who faces bank fraud charges.

Among the witnesses called by the defense was Menendez’s sister, Caridad Gonzalez, who recalled how family members fled Cuba in 1951, taking only the money they hid in a grandfather’s watch, before moving to New York, where the future senator was born. He was raised across the Hudson River in the New Jersey cities of Hoboken and Union City.

Menéndez’s lawyers argued that it was not unusual for the senator to keep large amounts of money at home, given his family history.