No criminal charges expected in Giuliani probe: US prosecutors

Prosecutors say they will not charge former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani after investigating his dealings with Ukrainian figures.

New York City prosecutors do not plan to file criminal charges against Rudy Giuliani in connection with an investigation into his interactions with Ukrainian figures, they revealed in a letter to a judge Monday.

They have said the decision was made after a review of evidence resulting from raids on his residence and law office in April 2021.

US federal prosecutors were investigating whether Giuliani’s dealings with figures in Ukraine in the run-up to the 2020 election required him to register as a foreign agent.

Prosecutors said a grand jury investigation had concluded that led to the issuance of arrest warrants that resulted in the seizure of Giuliani’s electronic devices.

They said that based on the information currently available, no criminal charges would be filed.

“In my business, we would call that a total victory,” Giuliani’s attorney, Robert Costello, told The Associated Press news agency. “We appreciate what the US attorney. [office] has done. We just wish they had done it much sooner.”

Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for federal prosecutors, declined to comment on the court filing.

Sixteen of Giuliani’s devices were seized as part of a federal investigation into Giuliani’s interactions with Ukrainian figures to see if he violated a law governing lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or entities.

A lawyer and former personal lawyer for former President Donald Trump, Giuliani’s communications with clients are generally protected by law, though there are exceptions.

Giuliani maintained throughout the investigation that he had done nothing wrong. At the time of the filing by prosecutors, Giuliani was on a talk show and was apparently unaware of the development.

The prosecutors’ letter quietly ends an investigation that erupted with much fanfare last year when federal agents were seen making off with computers and cellphones in Manhattan searches.

Soon after, prosecutors said the FBI had successfully downloaded 11 devices and returned them to Giuliani, but needed more time to unlock another seven.

Monday’s letter was prompted in part by the need for prosecutors to tell a judge that a former federal judge who had overseen a privileged inspection of electronic devices was no longer needed to see what should be excluded from the prosecutor’s review. criminal prosecutors. .

Meanwhile, Giuliani remains the target of a special grand jury in Atlanta investigating attempts by Trump and others to overturn the former president’s 2020 election defeat in the US state of Georgia. Giuliani testified before the grand jury in August.