Jury deliberating in former NY Senate leader Dean Skelos corruption trial

Dean Skelos leaves federal court in New York, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. The former New York state Senate leader and his son got business executives to arrange no-show jobs for the son in a brazen "family shakedown" that corrupted the senator's office, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday at the retrial of the pair on bribery and extortion charges. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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NEW YORK (AP) -- A jury in New York has begun deliberating in the federal corruption trial of former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos.

The once-powerful Republican is accused of using the clout of his office to pressure businessmen into giving jobs to his adult son.

Prosecutors said the jobs came with big salaries and required relatively little work, and amounted to bribes.

The defense said Skelos was just trying to help his struggling son find employment.

They say the senator never took official action for any of the businessmen.

The trial is scheduled to resume next week.

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