Jury deliberations begin in corruption trial of top U.S. senator

Jury deliberations began Friday in the high-profile trial of a powerful U.S. senator charged with corruption after gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were found at his home.

Robert Menendez, a 70-year-old Democrat from New Jersey, is accused of extortion, obstruction of justice and accepting bribes to perform favors for businessmen with connections to Egypt and Qatar.

The most serious charges would carry up to 20 years in prison upon conviction in the trial which began in a New York court in May.

Menendez, who said in June he would run as an independent in November's election, is a career politician and formerly led the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee until the charges were filed.

In a raid on his New Jersey home, FBI agents were said to have found nearly $500,000 in cash hidden around the house, as well as gold bars worth around $150,000 and a luxury Mercedes-Benz convertible.

His wife Nadine Menendez, to whom defense lawyers are seeking to shift the blame, has also been charged but will be tried separately in July as she is receiving treatment for breast cancer.

Prosecutors alleged Menendez put his power as a top US senator "up for sale."

He is on trial with two of the businessmen he allegedly helped -- Egyptian-American Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, a real estate developer. All have pleaded not guilty.

A third businessman, insurance broker Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty to bribery charges in March and has been assisting investigators.

Menendez is said to have interfered in the nomination of New Jersey's prosecutor in a bid to ensure that proceedings were dropped against Daibes and Uribe.

He is also accused of accepting bribes to use his power and influence to enrich his co-conspirators and benefit the government of Egypt, including by helping Hana protect his monopoly on US exports of halal food products to the country.