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U.S. NEWS Friday 17 November 2017

New Jersey senator’s bribery trial ends in a hung jury

By DAVID PORTER U.S. visas for the 63-year-
Associated Press old doctor’s girlfriends.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The According to prosecutors,
federal bribery trial of Dem- Melgen essentially put
ocratic Sen. Bob Menen- Menendez on the payroll
dez ended Thursday with and made the politician
the jury hopelessly dead- his “personal senator,”
locked on all charges, a available as needed. The
partial victory for him that defense argued that the
could nevertheless leave gifts were not bribes but to-
the case hanging over his kens of friendship between
head as he gears up for two men who have known
re-election to a sharply each other for more than
divided Senate. U.S. Dis- 20 years and were “like
trict Judge William Walls brothers.” The jurors were
declared a mistrial after instructed that they could
more than six full days of find the men guilty even if
deliberations failed to pro- they felt the prosecution
duce a verdict on any of didn’t match specific gifts
the 18 counts against the to specific acts by Menen-
New Jersey politician or his dez. Jurors needed more,
co-defendant, a wealthy Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez becomes emotional as he speaks to reporters in front of the according to Norris.
Florida eye doctor ac- courthouse in Newark, N.J., Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. The federal bribery trial of Menendez ended “I just wish there was stron-
cused of buying Menen- in a mistrial Thursday when the jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked on all charges against the ger evidence right out of
dez’s influence by plying New Jersey politician and a wealthy donor. the gate,” the juror said.
him with luxury vacations (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) “It was a victimless crime, I
and campaign contribu- the case and thanked the ban immigrants. Melgen’s jet and hundreds think, and it was an email
tions. Prosecutors would jurors in the 2½-month trial Jury member Edward Nor- of thousands of dollars in trial. I just didn’t see a
not say whether they plan “who saw through the gov- ris said 10 jurors wanted to contributions to campaign smoking gun.”
to retry Menendez. But on ernment’s false claims and acquit Menendez on all organizations that support- The charges against the
the political front, forces used their Jersey common charges, while two held out ed the senator directly or men included bribery,
were already mobilizing sense to reject it.” for conviction. indirectly. In return, pros- conspiracy and honest
against him, with GOP Sen- “Certain elements of the Norris said that after the ecutors said, Menendez services fraud, which was
ate Majority Leader Mitch FBI and of our state can- prosecution rested, “in my pressured government of- the most serious count of
McConnell immediately not stand, or even worse, gut I was like, ‘That’s it? ficials on Melgen’s behalf all, punishable by up to 20
calling for an ethics inves- accept that the Latino kid That’s all they had?’” over an $8.9 million Medi- years in prison. The sena-
tigation of him. Outside the from Union City and Hud- Menendez was accused of care billing dispute and a tor was also charged with
courthouse, a choked-up son County could grow up selling his political influence stalled contract to provide making false statements in
Menendez fought back to be a United States sena- to Dr. Salomon Melgen port screening equipment failing to report gifts from
tears as he blasted fed- tor and be honest,” said for vacations in the Carib- in the Dominican Repub- Melgen on his financial dis-
eral authorities for bringing the 63-year-old son of Cu- bean and Paris, flights on lic, and also helped obtain closure form. q

Drug firm founder pleads not guilty to opioid bribe scheme

BOSTON (AP) — A pharma- said Thursday.John Kapoor, Kelly said Kapoor isn’t a a highly addictive fentanyl kickbacks to doctors to
ceutical company founder of Insys Therapeutics Inc., flight risk and wants to clear spray that’s made by Insys write large numbers of pre-
accused of leading a con- pleaded not guilty in Bos- his name in court.“He’s Therapeutics, a specialty scriptions for the potent opi-
spiracy to bribe doctors to ton’s federal courthouse, not going to desert the pharmaceutical company oid that’s meant for cancer
prescribe a powerful opi- and his lawyer urged the USA because of this case,” whose corporate offices patients called Subsys.For-
oid pain medication will judge to allow him to re- Kelly told the judge. “He are in Chandler, Arizona. mer CEO Michael L. Babich
fight the charges against move an electronic moni- doesn’t believe it’s a strong Kapoor, 74, and other Insys and others are set to go to
him and believes he will toring bracelet while he case. He wants to fight this executives and managers trial next year and have
be vindicated, his attorney awaits trial. Attorney Brian case.”The case centers on are charged with offering pleaded not guilty. q