The Trial of the St. Patrick's Four

On March 17th, 2003, 48 hours before the bombings started in Iraq, a group of dedicated anti-war protesters poured their own blood on the walls of a military recruiting center in Ithaca, New York. They were charged in state court with criminal mischief and trespassing and the trial ended with a 9 for acquittal 3 no-acquittal hung jury. From there the DA decided to refer their case to the Federal government and the Saint Patrick?s Four were then put on trial in Binghamton, NY for conspiracy, a charge that carries a 6-8 year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. This was the first trial of anti-war protesters to be charged with Conspiracy since the Vietnam era.