Summations next week in Brooks trial |
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July 16, 2010 | | Print View |
Testimony in the trial of David Brooks, which
started with opening statements on Jan. 25, 2010, in federal district
court in Central Islip, Long Island, ended this past Tuesday, July 13.
After the defense rested its case, the prosecution recalled one defense
witness and rested its case as well.
Assistant United States Attorney Richard Lunger of
the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York
told harnessracing.com on Friday morning, July16, that summations by
both sides are expected to be given next week. After that, the case
will be given to the jury for a verdict. Citing office policy, Lunger
said he was unable to comment any further on the case.
According to Newsday.com’s Robert Kessler, who has
covered the trial throughout, the prosecution called 46 witnesses. Those
witnesses included members of the harness racing community such as
trainers Brett Pelling and Carl Conte and horse agent Charles Karp.
Florida vet Seth Fishman, who testified before
federal judge Joanna Seybert about David Brooks’s inquiries of him
(Fishman) for a pill that could make a potential witness forget what she
knew (identified as Dawn Schlegel, the government’s key witness, who
has worked out a plea deal with the government), never actually
testified before the jury. In addition, New Jersey state police
informant Glenn Hartung, who was alleged by the government to have done
“informant work related to doping race horses” in New Jersey, never was
called to testify at the trial.
The defense team for David Brooks called 15
witnesses and the defense team for co-defendant Sandra Hatfield called
11 witnesses, according to Newsday.com.
Brooks’s defense is essentially that he had carte
blanche from DHB Industries to spend millions of dollars of company
money for his personal expenses, including millions for his successful
harness racing empire. He is also accused, as part of the 17-count
indictment, of artificially pumping up the stock of DHB and then selling
it, making $185 million in the process, allegations which defendant
Brooks denies in their entirety.
While nobody ever knows what a jury is going to do,
we should have the answer to that very important question within the
next two weeks or so.—By Steve Kallas
quoted from here