The New Sons of Liberty.
The New Sons of Liberty were a group of twenty middle-class men from Hastings, New York, who formed an anti-government militia. Members of the group included Phil Christie, its leader and a former court clerk; Matthew Brant, Sr., a history teacher and Christie's brother-in-law; Matthew Brant, Jr., Brant, Sr.'s son; Thomas Robbins, a hunting and fishing store owner; and Greg Kubie, a policeman. As a means to evoke their fraternity and membership, they decided to tattoo themselves with their logo, an eagle with the Latin epigram "audentes fortuna iuvat" ("fortune favors the brave"). They also had an online website.
Christie, Brant, Sr., and Kubie concocted a plan to rob an armored car parked outside a New York City betting room. However, the heist went awry when the three engaged in a shootout with the security guards. Brant was gunned down, while Kubie was left severely wounded. Christie ended up killing one of the guards and managed to flee. The group was eventually discovered and charged with conspiracy, murder, and robbery. However, the jury deadlocked after a juror became sympathetic towards the New Sons' beliefs. Despite this, E.A.D.A. Jack McCoy stated his intention to retry the case. (L&O: "Nullification")
Members[]
- Phil Christie
- Matthew Brant, Sr. (deceased)
- Matthew Brant, Jr.
- Thomas Robbins
- Greg Kubie
- Lewis Cray
- Tony Lapella
- Al Goodman