Current:Home > ScamsJurors resume deliberations in Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial for third day-LoTradeCoin
Jurors resume deliberations in Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial for third day
View Date:2024-12-23 23:48:35
Washington — Jurors in New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial will meet for a third day Tuesday to deliberate the fate of the New Jersey Democrat, who is accused of accepting bribes from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for using his political influence to their benefit.
The jury began deliberations Friday afternoon and carried on through Monday without reaching a verdict.
Leaving court Monday, Menendez, who has pleaded not guilty, said that "it is obvious the government's case is not as simple as they made it [out] to be."
His comments followed the jury of six women and six men asking the judge for two clarifications — "Does a not guilty verdict on a single count require unanimity?" and "Does intervening in the federal prosecution of Daibes in New Jersey fall under counts 11 and 12 in the indictment?"
The judge responded to the first question, saying "Your vote — whether guilty or not guilty — must be unanimous as to each count and each defendant."
The note sheds little light on the potential verdict, but it indicates that jurors are divided on at least one of the 18 counts in the indictment. Menendez is charged with 16 counts, including obstruction of justice, acting as a foreign agent, bribery, extortion and honest services wire fraud.
The two counts referenced by the jury charge Menendez and real estate developer Fred Daibes with bribery. They allege Daibes gave Menendez and his wife gold bars and thousands in cash. In return, Menendez allegedly tried to use his influence to nominate a federal prosecutor who he thought could make a bank fraud case against Daibes disappear. They also involve Menendez making public statements in support of Qatar and introducing Daibes to a member of the Qatari royal family who invested in his real estate project.
"Intervening in the federal prosecution of Daibes falls within counts 11 and 12, only if the jury concludes that the government has proven each of the elements of counts 11 and 12 beyond a reasonable doubt," Judge Sidney Stein wrote back to jurors.
Daibes and Wael Hana, who owns a halal certification company, are on trial with Menendez and have pleaded not guilty.
Nadine Menendez, the senator's wife, was also charged in the alleged scheme, but Stein on Monday postponed her trial indefinitely as she recovers from breast cancer surgery.
- In:
- Bob Menendez
- New Jersey
- Corruption
- Bribery
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
TwitterveryGood! (688)
Related
- One person is dead after a shooting at Tuskegee University
- Why Simone Biles was 'stressing' big time during gymnastics all-around final
- Jobs report: Unemployment rise may mean recession, rule says, but likely not this time
- JoJo Siwa Shares Her Advice for the Cast of Dance Moms: A New Era
- Father sought in Amber Alert killed by officer, daughter unharmed after police chase in Ohio
- First two kickoff under NFL’s new rules are both returned to the 26
- Everything You Need to Get Through the August 2024 Mercury Retrograde
- Judge overturns $4.7 billion jury award to NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers
- Parts of Southern California under quarantine over oriental fruit fly infestation
- Simone Biles and Suni Lee aren't just great Olympians. They are the future.
Ranking
- The results are in: Peanut the Squirrel did not have rabies, county official says
- Justin Timberlake’s License Is Suspended After DWI Arrest
- 'Traumatic': New York woman, 4-year-old daughter find blood 'all over' Burger King order
- ‘Taking it off the speculative market’: These nonprofits help tenants afford to stay put
- Ariana Grande's Brunette Hair Transformation Is a Callback to Her Roots
- Track and field Olympics schedule: Every athletics event at Paris Olympics and when it is
- Kremlin acknowledges intelligence operatives among the Russians who were freed in swap
- Brittney Griner on Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich being released: 'It's a great day'
Recommendation
-
Will the NBA Cup become a treasured tradition? League hopes so, but it’s too soon to tell
-
The Daily Money: Scammers pose as airline reps
-
General Hospital's Cameron Mathison Steps Out With Aubree Knight Hours After Announcing Divorce
-
Paris Olympics opened with opulence and keeps going with Louis Vuitton, Dior, celebrities
-
FBI raids New York City apartment of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, reports say
-
2026 Honda Passport first look: Two-row Pilot SUV no more?
-
Olympic badminton player offers Snoop Dogg feedback, along with insights about sport
-
Horoscopes Today, August 2, 2024