The Albany Re-trial of Joe Bruno is in its final stage: the jury deliberated two hours Thursday afternoon and are due back in court 9am Friday..
The 85-year old Bruno, once one of New York State's most powerful leaders when he led the GOP-controlled Senate for 14 years before stepping down in 2008, stands accused of knowingly receiving bribes and kickbacks -
Prosecutors say the Rensselaer County Republican did no actual work to earn consulting fees totaling $360,000 while improperly directing state grants to one of businessman Jared Abbruzzese's companies.
During closing arguments, defense attorney E. Stewart Jones stressed that Abbruzzese, who shielded from prosecution for anything except perjury, testified that he never bribed Bruno.
If convicted on two counts of "honest services" fraud, Bruno could spend the next several years in a federal prison.