Deliberations are expected to begin on Friday in the federal corruption trial of New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez.
The judge started giving instructions to the jury on Thursday after four days of closing arguments wrapped up. The trial is in its ninth week.
Menendez is accused of using his political power and influence to gain various gifts, including cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, furniture and payments on a home mortgage.
He is facing 16 charges, including bribery, extortion and public official acting as a foreign agent.
Two New Jersey businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, are being tried alongside Menendez for their alleged role in the scheme.
The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, is accused of being a key player in the alleged fraud as well. She is facing multiple charges, but her trial was delayed until August due to health issues. Robert Menendez announced that his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in May, at the start of his trial.
Prosecutors argued their case over the course of several weeks, calling over two dozen witnesses and presenting various pieces of evidence, including gold bars seized from the Menendez home during a raid.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni alleged that Menendez’s actions showed a “clear pattern of corruption” in his closing argument.
The defense called five witnesses, including Robert Menendez’s sister, Caridad Gonzalez, but the senator chose not to testify.
The defense claimed the senator was unaware of his wife’s dealings in the alleged scheme. They also claimed prosecutors had failed to prove their case.
“The gaps you are being asked to fill are not based on evidence. Don’t fall into a trap of buying a story, a forceful, well-told, long, long story,” defense attorney Adam Fee said in his closing argument. “Resist that.”
While several of his Democratic colleagues encouraged Robert Menendez to resign after he was charged, including fellow New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker, the senator is running for re-election as an independent in November. He will campaign against Democratic nominee Rep. Andy Kim and Republican nominee and entrepreneur Curtis Bashaw.
The senator, who was first elected in 2006, was previously on trial for corruption in 2017. That trial lasted 11 weeks and ended in a hung jury. At the time, he was facing 18 charges, including bribery, conspiracy, fraud and making false statements.
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