The sexual abuse trial of former state Sen. Tony Navarrete began this week. Navarrete was arrested in 2019 and charged with seven felony counts for sexual acts with a minor.
The Phoenix Democrat resigned from the state Senate after details emerged from a police investigation of multiple allegations of sexual conduct from two victims.
Navarrete rejected a plea deal in September.
Defense attorney Adam Feldman said the state’s case is weak.
“The allegations that the state has said, we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt will be nothing more than a he said, he said and maybe from a few she saids as well," Feldman said.
The prosecution played a phone conversation between Navarrete and one of the alleged victims, who heard the former senator apologize for his actions. The call was secretly recorded by police.
The trial is expected to last through early November.
