1.   They were not charged with overt acts of any kind designed to overthrow the Government.

2.   At the close of evidence, Shabani again raised the issue and asked the court to instruct the jury that proof of an overt act was required for conviction.

3.   But overt acts of violence against refugee applicants have been less frequent.

4.   But the drug conspiracy law, unlike the general federal conspiracy statute, does not refer to overt acts.

5.   But the only overt acts cited in the indictment were the bombings of a Manila theater and a Philippine Airlines jetliner, which prosecutors describe as rehearsals.

6.   For example, in the original indictment, Nichols is charged with one overt act in the two months before the bombing.

7.   Finally, Shabani invokes the rule of lenity, arguing that the statute is unclear because it neither requires an overt act nor specifies that one is not necessary.

8.   House Majority Whip Thomas DeLay, also of Texas, has not publicly explained his actions, but he stands accused of the most overt acts of disloyalty.

9.   Instead, prosecutors have to show just that he exhibited a general pattern of behavior through overt acts.

10.   It will require overt acts of heroism and simple acts of personal bravery.