NEWARK, N.J. _ The jury in the corruption trial of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez said Thursday that it could not reach a verdict on the fourth day of deliberations since a federal judge instructed them to start their discussions from scratch.
A note telling the judge of the deadlock was sent shortly before noon.
"We have each tried to look at this case from different viewpoints, but still feel strongly in our positions, nor are we willing to move away from our strong convictions," the note said as it was read by a defense attorney in court.
Jurors said they "reviewed all the evidence slowly, thoroughly and in great detail."
The judge then rejected calls from prosecutors to instruct the jury about reaching a partial verdict, in which jurors can reach a decision on some, but not all, of the 18 counts against Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, and his co-defendant Salomon Melgen.
"The idea of seeking partial verdicts becomes a little mischievous in the context of the note because then we reach a point where we may be sliding down the slope to coercion," U.S. District Court Judge William H. Walls said.
Prosecutors are trying to convince Walls that deliberations should continue.
"After a nine-week trial, this jury has been deliberating for just over three days," lead prosecutor Peter Koski told the judge, adding that it's "not unusual" to reach an agreement after initial disagreement.
Walls interviewed the jury foreman and at least two other jurors behind closed doors. Prosecutors, defense attorneys and the defendants were privy to those discussions, but not the media.
Menendez stands accused of doing official favors for Melgen, a wealthy Florida eye doctor and longtime friend, at the highest levels of the federal government in exchange for luxury vacations, free flights on Melgen's private jets and more than $700,000 in political contributions.
The men, both 63, deny the 18 counts of bribery, fraud and other crimes with which they have been charged. Fraud carries the most serious maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The jury deliberated for three full days last week before a juror was excused to take a long-planned vacation. Walls replaced her with an alternate and instructed the jury on Monday morning to start considering the charges all over again.
On Monday afternoon, jurors told Walls they were deadlocked, but he urged them to keep working toward consensus. Until today, the jury had not sent another note or question to the court.
