BOSTON (AP) – The case against two men charged with planting electronic devices in a botched advertising scheme that created a bomb scare in the Boston area could be resolved by the end of the month, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, were solemn and silent Wednesday after giggling and waving to friends during their first court appearance following the Jan. 31 incident. Their case was continued to March 30.

“We’ve been in lengthy conversations. We hope to resolve the matter before then,” Assistant Attorney General John Grossman said at a hearing in Charlestown District Court.

The defendants have pleaded not guilty to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct.

Neither Grossman nor defense lawyers Walter Prince and Michael Rich talked to reporters. The defendants also left court without commenting, unlike their first court appearance when they held an impromptu news conference during which they would only talk about hairstyles of the 1970s.

Eight friends were in court Wednesday to support the defendants. Emma Benedict, a local film maker, said the charges are overblown.

“Peter has always been a respectful person who would never cause anyone any grief,” she said, adding that Berdovsky had helped her on some of her projects.

The blinking devices, featuring a cartoon character making an obscene gesture, were illuminated circuit boards with batteries and wires designed to promote the Cartoon Network show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.”

The devices were part of guerrilla advertising campaign by Turner Broadcasting Systems, a division of Time Warner Inc.

Turner Broadcasting and the advertising agency that carried out the campaign, Interference Inc., have agreed to pay a $2 million settlement to cover costs and restitution for the police response that shut down highways and bridges and snarled traffic after more than three dozen of the devices were found.

The head of the Cartoon Network resigned nine days after the stunt.

The first device discovered by police was found mid-morning on Jan. 31 attached to a support structure beneath Interstate 93, next to a subway station. The bomb squad was called out, sparking fears of possible terrorist acts in the city.

The electronic signs were placed in nine other cities around the United States, but they did not lead to the dramatic police response as they did in Boston.