Coming up empty

Crime: After 19 days of deliberation, a federal judge declares a mistrial in a landmark terrorism financing case | Mark Bergin

Celebrating outside the federal courthouse in Dallas after the trial on Oct. 22

Years of federal investigation, months of sworn testimony, weeks of jury deliberation, and four days awaiting the release of a sealed verdict culminated in confusion and debacle Oct. 22. The 12-member citizen panel charged with adjudicating the largest terrorism financing case in U.S. history appeared to crumble under stacks of convoluted evidence.

Government attorneys had hoped to establish criminal links between the Palestinian terror group Hamas and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), a Dallas-based Muslim charity shut down by authorities in 2001. Instead, prosecutors overwhelmed jurors, frustrated observers, and provoked a mistrial. "They just put too much on us to deal with," juror William Neal told the Dallas Morning News. "It was a waste of my time to go this long and come out empty."