Faneuil Praised, Pilloried in Stewart Summations

Updated from 2:23 p.m. EST

Martha Stewart's fate should turn on the believability of Douglas Faneuil, the 28-year-old former Merrill Lynch clerk who claims to have given her a perfectly timed stock tip at the behest of his boss, lawyers on both sides argued Monday.

If jurors believe Faneuil, "then this trial is over," said prosecutor Michael Schachter in his closing argument. Schachter argued that Faneuil's testimony confers credibility on every count remaining against Stewart and his boss, Peter Bacanovic, in their month-old criminal obstruction trial.

Faneuil's credibility also was the topic of defense lawyer Ricahrd Strassberg's closing argument. Bacanovic's attorney called Faneuil a "convincing liar" whose fascination with celebrity led him to invent a story that would bring down his boss and win him fawning publicity. ...