No charges to be filed against Giuliani after NY raids, prosecutors say
NEW YORK — Prosecutors in New York do not plan to criminally charge Rudy Giuliani in connection with a probe into his interactions with Ukrainian figures, they revealed in a letter to a judge Monday in what a lawyer for Giuliani declared a “total victory.”
They said they made the decision after a review of evidence resulting from raids on his residence and law office in April 2021.
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 probe that led to the issuance of warrants that resulted in the seizure of Giuliani’s electronic devices had concluded.
They said that based on information available, criminal charges would not be forthcoming. “In my business, we would call that total victory,” Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello, said.
Sixteen of Giuliani’s devices were seized as part of a federal investigation into his interactions with Ukrainian figures to see whether he violated a law governing lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or entities.
Giuliani is an attorney, former New York City mayor and former personal lawyer for ex-president Donald Trump. His communications with clients are generally protected by law, though there are exceptions.
Giuliani maintained throughout the probe that he had done nothing wrong.
Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors, declined to comment on the court filing.
Giuliani remains a target of a special grand jury in Atlanta investigating attempts by Trump and others to overturn the former president’s 2020 election defeat in Georgia.
The letter by prosecutors quietly ends a probe that was revealed with much fanfare in April 2021 when federal agents were seen carting off computers and cellphones in Manhattan searches.
The letter Monday was prompted in part by the need for prosecutors to tell a judge that a former federal judge who had overseen a privilege inspection of the electronic devices, to see what had to be excluded from review by criminal prosecutors, was no longer needed.
Giuliani, 78, has been under federal scrutiny for several years over his ties to Ukraine. He was central to Trump’s efforts to dig up dirt against Democratic rival Joe Biden and to press Ukraine for an investigation into Biden and his son, Hunter.