RI art dealer accused of $6M con testifies

[March 11, 2011]  PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- A former art dealer who prosecutors say defrauded investors of $6 million has taken the witness stand in his trial, saying his accountant directed his business dealings.

Federal prosecutors rested their case in the trial of Rocco DeSimone, who defense attorneys put on the stand Thursday.

DeSimone is accused of inducing friends and others to invest in inventions he falsely said major international corporations had offered to buy for millions of dollars. He has pleaded not guilty to mail fraud and other charges.

DeSimone has placed blame on his accountant, Ronald Rodrigues, who he says handled the financial side of trying to sell the inventions.

Thomas F. Connors, a lawyer for DeSimone, says DeSimone was misled by Rodrigues and that he believed in the inventions he was trying to sell.

[Associated Press]

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