NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors on Friday neared the finish line in their case against veterinarian and animal-products salesman Seth Fishman, bringing their case to a close after calling 11 witnesses and presenting evidence from FBI wiretaps. "At this time, the government rests its case," prosecutor Anden Chow told U.S. District Court Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil on the trial's eighth day. A short time later, the defense rested its case without calling any witnesses or putting the accused veterinarian on the stand to testify. Without the jury present in the Manhattan courtroom, Vyskocil told Fishman he had a right to testify but was under no obligation. "So, it's your decision not to testify, Dr. Fishman?" the judge asked. "That is correct," Fishman said. "And it's your decision alone not to testify?" "That is correct," Fishman said. The conclusion of testimony sets the stage for the next phase of the trial – closing arguments followed by jury deliberations after the judge issues instructions on the law. Eight women and four men comprise the jury.  :: For the first time ever, our premium past performances are free! Get free Formulator now! Vyskocil told both sides that summations would commence Monday. Fishman, 50, was one of 27 horse racing insiders arrested in March 2020, in a wide-ranging scheme that prosecutors have said was intended to manufacture, distribute, and administer performance-enhancing drugs to racehorses. Those charged included two prominent Thoroughbred trainers, Jason Servis, who is awaiting trial, and Jorge Navarro, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison. Fishman is the first to go to trial in the case. Prosecutors have accused Fishman of manufacturing illegal performance-enhancing drugs that Standardbred and Thoroughbred trainers, including Navarro, administered to their horses to win lucrative purses and enhance their reputation. Prosecutors say those charged acted without regard to horse welfare, risking breakdowns and death. Prosecutors allege that Fishman was especially sought after because he claimed that his products wouldn't appear in customary post-race testing. Fishman is charged with two counts of conspiring to violate drug adulteration and misbranding laws. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. Fishman went on trial Jan. 19 with Lisa Giannelli, who worked with him for 18 years. Vyskocil granted her a mistrial after her lawyer tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Fishman contends that he carried out the accused activities in the good-faith belief that he was practicing veterinary medicine. On Friday, prosecutors set up a table in front of the jury box with dozens of boxes and bins containing vials of substances that they claimed were worth tens of thousands of dollars, seized at the time of Fishman's initial arrest in 2019. Prosecutors say the vials contained performance-enhancing drugs. Additionally, FBI agent Jarrett Concannon testified that during a search of Fishman's business in South Florida last month, he took photos of the same products stored on shelves. Prosecutors say the search showed Fishman was in possession of substances in violation of his bail conditions. The government's witnesses were a varied assortment. They included a woman who worked for Fishman and his Equestology business in South Florida for five years and who testified after agreeing to a non-prosecution agreement with prosecutors. They further included Ross Cohen, a defendant in the March 2020 indictments. He agreed to flip as part of a cooperation deal with the government. Also testifying were two current trainers, Adrienne Hall, who has small stable of harness horses in Florida, and Jamen Davidovich, who ran principally in the Midwest in 2021 and who has a start this year in New York. (Davidovich was summarily suspended by the Ohio State Racing Commission on Friday.) Each testified Fishman supplied them with performance-enhancing drugs for their horses after they reached out to the veterinarian a few years ago. Jurors also heard testimony from three FBI agents and two experts in veterinary medicine. As part of their case, prosecutors played excerpts from more than two dozen wiretaps that captured Fishman discussing his products and bragging that they weren't "testable." The wiretaps had earlier been transcribed in materials released by prosecutors. "Don't kid yourself," Fishman is heard saying to an unidentified male individual on the other end of the line in a wiretap from April 15, 2019. "If you're giving something to a horse to make it better, and you're not supposed to do that, that's doping. You know, whether or not it's testable, that's another story." The Thoroughbred industry's leading publications are working together to cover this key trial.