 While the first trial was under way , events outside the courtroom influenced public perception of communism : the Soviet Union tested its first nuclear weapon , and communists prevailed in the Chinese Civil War . Public opinion was overwhelmingly against the defendants . After a 10 month trial the jury found all 11 defendants guilty and the judge sentenced them to terms of up to five years in federal prison , further sentencing all five defense attorneys to imprisonment for contempt of court . Two of the attorneys were subsequently disbarred . 
