WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors appealed to jurors yesterday to summon their "common sense" and find Sen. Ted Stevens guilty of seven counts of hiding thousands of dollars in gifts, services and benefits on his annual Senate disclosure forms.

Look beyond his title of senator, said Brenda Morris, the lead Justice Department prosecutor, as she concluded the government's closing arguments.

"I ask you to do something that very few people have done," Morris said. "Stand up to him. Behind all that growling, and all those snappy comebacks and that righteous indignation, he's just a man. He should stand up and take responsibility like everyone who comes into the courtroom. Make him responsible."

Defense lawyer Brendan Sullivan, however, accused prosecutors of offering a "twisted" account of Stevens' life over the past eight years. He told jurors that "you have an innocent man on your hands" and that government investigators have exaggerated the case against the 84-year-old Alaska Republican.

"If you look at life through a filthy, dirty glass, then the whole world looks dirty," Sullivan said. "You have heard evidence that this is a very decent man. Would he be involved in a conspiracy, year after year, covering up?"

Yes, said prosecutor Joseph Bottini, who in his closing statements earlier yesterday argued that Stevens knew he was getting "substantial benefits" from his friend, Bill Allen, the chief executive officer of the oil-field-services firm Veco Corp.

Bottini and Morris split the responsibility of closing arguments for the prosecution, with Bottini taking the morning session and Morris ending the day. In between, jurors heard from Sullivan, who offered a theatrical, arm-waving defense in the morning but lulled the courtroom in the afternoon with a quieter plea that focused on Stevens' character.

The lawyers also jousted over the appearance of some of Stevens' famous friends, such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell and longtime Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawai'i, who testified to Stevens' truthfulness and honesty over the decades. "They put their honor on the line to come to court to say to you that he's truthful and honest," Sullivan said.

Morris said those men only knew the public Ted Stevens.

Jurors will officially get the case today, after they receive instructions from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan.