Report: Phil Mickelson will not testify at Billy Walters' insider trading case

Lefty will plead the fifth if called upon for testimony

The Phil Mickelson insider trading case rolls on, but this time, apparently, Mickelson will not be involved. After repaying a little over $1 million in profit he earned from an apparent insider trading tip from William “Billy” Walters, Mickelson will not be called to testify against Walters, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Professional golfer Phil Mickelson won’t be called to testify at gambler Billy Walters’ insider-trading trial because he’d invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, a defense lawyer told a judge.

“He is on our witness list, but we understand from his counsel he would invoke his Fifth Amendment if called,” attorney Barry Berke said, according to a transcript of the conference. “So he will not be called as a witness, although his name will be mentioned.”

It seems like every six months or so Mickelson’s name pops up in association with the case. Walters is being tried for multiple counts of wire and securities fraud. Mickelson was never charged criminally.

“The SEC has now completed its investigation into that investment and has concluded that Phil Mickelson did not engage in any wrongdoing,” said Mickelson’s attorney, Gregory Craig, in a statement to Golf Channel last year. He did, however, pay back the $1 million beacuse he had “no desire to benefit from any transaction that the SEC sees as questionable.”

The punch line here is pretty obvious. This is the first time in history, when given a chance to wax poetic about something he might or might not have acute knowledge of, that Mickelson will choose to remain silent.