Jury to begin deliberations Friday in bribery trial of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City jury was told Thursday it will begin deliberating criminal charges against Sen. Bob Menendez at his bribery trial on Friday after hearing instructions on the law.

Judge Sidney H. Stein began after 4 p.m. to read the instructions to jurors who heard and viewed evidence over two months before listening to a week of closing arguments in Manhattan federal court.

Prosecutors say the Democrat accepted nearly $150,000 in gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from three New Jersey businessmen from 2018 to 2022 to corruptly abuse his power as a senator to their benefit.

Menendez, 70, has pleaded not guilty to numerous charges, including that he acted as a foreign agent for the government of Egypt.

“Looking forward to the jury getting the case tomorrow,” Menendez said as he stepped into a waiting car outside the courthouse.

The New Jersey senator is on trial with two of the businessmen — Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. They too have pleaded not guilty. A third businessman, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and testified against the others.

Menendez’s wife, Nadine, has pleaded not guilty, though her trial has been postponed after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery.

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