A federal judge on Wednesday rejected claims by former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez that his conviction should be thrown out because the jury was given a laptop containing material that was supposed to be excluded from the trial.
Judge Sidney H. Stein in Manhattan said in a written opinion that it was “extraordinarily unlikely” jurors were even aware of the materials given that nobody referenced them during Menendez's trial. The Democrat was convicted in July of 16 charges, along with two New Jersey businessmen who prosecutors said bribed him with gold and cash.
