RI man accused in $6M con says witnesses lied

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A former art dealer in Rhode Island says witnesses are lying when they claim he duped them in what prosecutors call a $6 million con.

Rocco DeSimone spoke under cross-examination in U.S. District Court in Providence before his defense attorneys rested their case today.

DeSimone says witnesses against him falsely told the jury that he systematically defrauded investors in inventions that he claimed brand-name companies had offered to buy for millions of dollars. Prosecutors have called DeSimone, who was convicted of tax fraud in 2005 and briefly escaped from prison three years later, a “habitual con man.”

DeSimone denies the charges against him.

Closing arguments are set for Monday.