After months of investigating, city and federal prosecutors have decided not to bring corruption charges against NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Mayor de Blasio will not face any federal or local criminal charges stemming from investigations into his fundraising practices during his 2013 bid for City Hall.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim and Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance each made their announcements this morning.
Kim, who took over former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s investigation this past weekend, released the following statement:
“In response to allegations of misconduct, this Office, along with the FBI, has been investigating fundraising by and on behalf of Mayor Bill de Blasio for his 2013 election campaign, the Campaign for One New York, and the 2014 State Senate effort. We have conducted a thorough investigation into several circumstances in which Mayor de Blasio and others acting on his behalf solicited donations from individuals who sought official favors from the City, after which the Mayor made or directed inquiries to relevant City agencies on behalf of those donors. In considering whether to charge individuals with serious public corruption crimes, we take into account, among other things, the high burden of proof, the clarity of existing law, any recent changes in the law, and the particular difficulty in proving criminal intent in corruption schemes where there is no evidence of personal profit. After careful deliberation, given the totality of the circumstances here and absent additional evidence, we do not intend to bring federal criminal charges against the Mayor or those acting on his behalf relating to the fundraising efforts in question. Although it is rare that we issue a public statement about the status of an investigation, we believe it appropriate in this case at this time, in order not to unduly influence the upcoming campaign and Mayoral election.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office says it will not prosecute the administration because they relied on legal advice from their attorneys during the process.
They investigated his office for a year.
DA Vance added, “After an extensive investigation, notwithstanding the BOE’s view that the conduct here may have violated the election law, this office has determined that the parties involved cannot be appropriately prosecuted, given their reliance on the advice of counsel.”
Jason Sambo – Breaking911.com
