Defense may rest in evangelist's sex-crimes trial

[July 22, 2009]  TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) -- Lawyers for evangelist Tony Alamo on Wednesday will likely wrap up their defense in his federal sex-crimes trial.

Lawyer Phillip Kuhn says Alamo's defense team plans to call only two more witnesses to the stand. That means jurors could receive the case as soon as early Wednesday afternoon.

The only remaining wild card remains Alamo himself. The evangelist told reporters on the way to court Tuesday that he planned to take the stand, despite his lawyers' advice against it. But when leaving Tuesday afternoon, Alamo said his defense team had "won the case already without me having to take the stand."

The 74-year-old evangelist faces a 10-count federal indictment accusing him of taking underage girls across state lines for sex.

[Associated Press; By JON GAMBRELL]

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