Fingerprints on ballot key to Teamster election trial

Chi Town Daily News reports:

A defense attorney broke into tears yesterday during closing arguments in the trial of three former Teamsters accused of election fraud, praising his client's courage in standing up to prosecutors.

But Robert Habib told the jury he could not say how the fingerprints of his client, David Rodriguez, ended up on completed ballots inside sealed envelopes received by the union during a 2004 election.

"I can't explain why David's prints are there. He can't explain it either," Habib said, "There are six billion of us on this earth, supposedly with different prints. One has a right to be skeptical."