Karen Sypher's defense team rested its case this morning without calling a witness, meaning Sypher will not take the stand.
Closing arguments are going on as we type/read, which means a verdict could come as early as this afternoon.
Karen Sypher "was looking for a golden parachute" and "believed she was entitled to something for nothing" when she threatened to go public with her rape allegation against University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Ford told jurors Wednesday in closing arguments.
"This was a pure shakedown of Richard Pitino," Ford told the Louisville federal jury during Sypher’s trial on charges of extortion and lying to federal authorities.
Ford told jurors that there is no question that Sypher and Pitino had sex at Porcini Restaurant in 2003 and that she then had an abortion. She acknowledged that jurors "may not condone what Richard Pitino did.
"I don’t condone it, but there’s nothing illegal about" his actions, she said. "You may not be happy about it, but it’s not criminal."
For those already feeling nostalgic, here are the trial's top ten moments.