Corrine Brown Trial: Corrine Brown takes the stand

Update: 5:33 p.m.: Cross examination of Corrine Brown continues Friday. The jury will be dismissed until Monday.

Monday will be closing arguments.

Update: 4:34 p.m.: Direct questioning of Corrine Brown has concluded. Cross examination expected to begin.

Update: 3:06 p.m. Corrine Brown took the stand in her own defense Thursday and she denied conspiring to commit wire fraud, lying on her financial disclosure forms or knowingly filing false tax returns.

Speaking in a quiet voice and and demure demeanor, Brown teared up about her service on the Veterans Affairs Committee, saying, “The moment I was indicted, I had to step down.”

She denied using money from her Chief of Staff Ronnie Simmons for her own use.

“Any cash that Ronnie ever gave me, I always felt – and he told me – it was his personal cash,” Brown testified. “I took care of my staff and they took care of me.”

Brown said she received cash from Simmons, but they were travel reimbursements, she testified.

Brown said she didn’t recall when she first learned about One Door for Education, the charity she’s accused of using as a personal slush fund. She would have reported Simmons had she known he was taking money, Brown testified.

“I haven’t even thought about (One Door) in the last 15 months,” Brown said.

Brown denied she made flyers for her events. She says she had a computer at a back desk in her office, but never turned it on.

Brown’s testimony is expected to take at least four hours on Thursday.

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Corrine Brown is the last witness in her federal fraud trial and is expected to be on the stand for up to four hours Thursday.

Examination and cross examination are expected to take two hours each.

Closing arguments could happen as early as Friday or Monday.

The defense called three other witnesses to the stand after prosecution rested its case Thursday morning.

Brenda Simmons, Brown's congressional staffer Rontel Batie, UNF president John Delaney were all questioned within 45 minutes.

Their testimony mainly focused on Brown's character.

Batie testified that Brown came to rely more on staff as she aged.

The judge presiding in Brown's federal fraud trial denied the defense's motion Thursday to acquit her on all charges.

A judge denied the motion to acquit on all counts but is reserving judgment on two because he has more questions.

The defense's motion to acquit came after the prosecution's "star witness," Brown's former chief of staff Ronnie Simmons, repeatedly stated that the intent of expensive events thrown by One Door for Education was always to raise money.

The government is alleging that Brown stole $330,000 when she asked donors to give money to fund events.

The 22 charges against her focus on allegations that they never intended to raise money for scholarships.

The defense's motion to acquit says charities are not required to raise or give out funds as long as the intent is there.

Brown's defense says it was always the intent of the events to raise money for scholarships.

Carla Wiley also said during testimony that she never had any significant relationship with Brown, so the prosecution cannot show agreement and/or conspiracy, the defense claims.

The defense says there is also no evidence that she knew financial disclosures were false.

The defense also significantly reduced the number of witnesses it planned to call to the stand and is expected to wrap today.

The prosecution rested before noon.

Cox Media Group