U.S. District Judge William Walls sent the jurors home for the
day and told them to resume their deliberations on Tuesday,
Steven Sandberg, a representative for Menendez, said in an
email.
A representative for the court clerk's office and the U.S.
Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
Menendez is on trial on charges that he accepted private
flights, campaign contributions and other bribes from a wealthy
patron, Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, in exchange for
official favors between 2006 and 2013.
Lawyers for Menendez and Melgen have told the jury in Newark,
New Jersey, that they did nothing wrong and that their actions
stemmed from a close, brother-like relationship.
If Menendez is convicted, Republicans will be presented with a
chance to gain a seat in the closely divided U.S. Senate, as his
replacement would be named by Republican Governor Chris
Christie. Christie will remain in office until Jan. 16, when
Democratic governor-elect Phil Murphy will take his place.
The jury, beginning its first day of deliberations with a new
member after another panelist was allowed to leave for a
previously scheduled vacation, sent the judge a note on Monday
afternoon saying they were deadlocked and could not reach a
verdict on any of the counts, the Newark Star-Ledger newspaper
reported.
"Is there any additional guidance and what do we do now?" the
jury asked the judge in their note, according to the newspaper.
The judge then heard from attorneys from both the prosecution,
who argued that the jury had only begun their deliberations
again three hours earlier that day, and Menendez's attorney, who
argued for the judge to declare a mistrial, the Star-Ledger
said.
Walls concluded that it would be appropriate for the jury to
continue their deliberations.
If found guilty of all charges, Menendez could face a sentence
of up to 20 years in prison.
(Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Frances
Kerry)
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