Jury deliberations began Friday in New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez's federal corruption trial. Jurors in the months-long trial heard closing arguments this week and received final instructions from the judge on Thursday.
Among the charges, prosecutors allege that Menendez abused his power as a senator in exchange for bribes from three New Jersey businessmen between 2018 and 2022. He's also accused of acting as a foreign agent for the government of Egypt.
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In 2022, authorities reviewed Menendez's email accounts and searched his home, where they found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars. His defense team argued that the gold was inherited by his wife, and that Menendez had a habit of storing cash at home because it's something his family did after they immigrated in 1951 from Cuba to the U.S.
The Democratic senator pleaded not guilty to 16 criminal counts, including bribery, fraud, extortion, and obstruction of justice. His wife, Nadine, was also indicted, though her trial has been postponed as she recovers from breast cancer surgery.
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Menendez is on trial alongside two of the businessmen involved — Wael Hana and Fred Daibes. A third businessman, Juan Uribe, pleaded guilty and has been cooperating with federal prosecutors.
