Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was back in a Manhattan courtroom Monday to begin his New York criminal trial for alleged public corruption, accepting bribes, and acting as a foreign agent.

The third-term senator has remained defiant in his innocence and said he will not resign from office, at least not before a jury hands down a verdict. His case, which centers on allegedly aiding the governments of Egypt and Qatar, as well as receiving lavish gifts from businessmen that included gold bars, is expected to last several months.