NEW YORK — A lawyer for a Las Vegas gambler linked to golfer Phil Mickelson has urged jurors at a New York trial to acquit his client of insider trading charges, saying the prosecution hangs on the lies of a witness.
Attorney Barry Berke said Thursday that William "Billy" Walters should be acquitted because he never cheated when he traded the stock of the Dallas-based Dean Foods Co. A prosecutor a day earlier had urged conviction, saying documents including phone and trading records supported the testimony of former Dean Foods board chairman Thomas Davis.
Closing arguments capped a three-week trial.
Walters is charged with earning $40 million by making profits and avoiding losses through tips from Davis. Davis pleaded guilty to federal charges and is cooperating in the hopes he'll be sentenced leniently.
Mickelson wasn't charged.