Even with all the ill will towards hedge funders and bankers following the financial crisis, defendants can still get a fair trial.

The two Bear Stearns hedge fund managers, Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, were found not guilty on all counts related to their failed hedge funds today.

"I am grateful for the jury’s hard work in weighing all the evidence and thank them for their commitment to finding the truth," said Tannin in a press statement.

The prosecution was widely regarded to have performed terribly.

WSJ: The trial didn’t go altogether smoothly for the government. More than one government witness strayed from the script, and ended up providing testimony that wasn’t exactly damaging to the defendants’ cases. The judge on the case, Frederick Block, ruled the jury couldn’t consider one of the prosecution’s emails, as well.

Prosecutors said the pair hid warning signs their funds -- loaded with sub-prime mortgage bets -- were on the verge of collapsing, costing 300 investors some $1.6 billion, as the AP notes. But the defense said the men were just expressing concerns about they funds that changed constantly and were taken out of context.

"Of course, we are disappointed by the outcome in this case, but the jurors have spoken, and we accept their verdict," said U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell. "Honesty and integrity are the principals [sic] upon which our financial markets function. Enforcing and protecting those principals [sic] will continue to be one of the principal efforts of this Office."

The only major criminal prosecution stemming from the financial crisis, this was supposed to be the trial of the year for Wall Street. But there was little fan-fare at the start on October 13 and the jury took less than two days to decide the not guilty verdict.