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Jurors resume deliberations in Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial for third day
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.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.