Feds end Rudy Giuliani probe with no lobbying charges

Federal prosecutors said Monday that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will face no criminal charges stemming from a three-year grand jury investigation into his lobbying efforts in Ukraine.

In a brief letter to U.S. District Court Judge Paul Oetken, prosecutors said the inquiry had concluded and "based on information currently available to the Government, criminal charges are not forthcoming."

The judge had been overseeing the work of a special master, appointed to review materials recovered in 2021 searches of Giuliani's law office and apartment in connection with the federal inquiry into his dealings in Ukraine where he also sought to unearth damaging information about President Joe Biden and his son.

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"Complete & Total Vindication," Giuliani tweeted Monday.

More: Rudy Giuliani: FBI raid on NY apartment, offices 'unjustified'; denies wrongdoing

More: Rudy Giuliani's pressure on Ukraine on behalf of former President Trump revealed in call recording on CNN

Giuliani's attorney, Robert Costello, said he had met with federal prosecutors and FBI agents in February to discuss the matter. But he was given no advance notice of the government's decision Monday.

"Nothing untoward happened," Costello said. "I am pleased but not surprised. I had seen all of the evidence, and there was no evidence that he did anything wrong."

The search involving a personal attorney of former President Donald Trump marked an aggressive move by federal authorities investigating whether Giuliani had failed to register as a foreign agent in representing Ukrainian interests in the U.S.

At the time, Giuliani described being roused by more than a half dozen agents at his apartment at 6 a.m.

Giuliani later told FOX News that agents seized up to eight personal electronic devices.

Following the search, Oetken appointed retired federal judge Barbara Jones to segregate any seized material that might be protected by attorney-client privilege. The government's letter Monday indicated that Jones' work was no longer necessary. 

© Mario Tama, Getty Images Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Legacy Sports USA on October 09, 2022, in Mesa, Arizona.

While Giuliani claimed victory in New York, prosecutors in Georgia have designated him as a target of an investigation into interference in the 2020 election.

Giuliani was summoned to testify before an Atlanta-area grand jury in August, related to claims that voting systems altered Georgia ballots, while ignoring a hand-count audit that confirmed Biden's victory in the state.

More: Giuliani appeared for 6 hours before Georgia grand jury; Trump attorney is target in inquiry: recap

Giuliani also asserted that about 65,000 underage voters, more than 2,500 felons and 800 dead people voted in the state. All of those claims have been debunked by the Georgia secretary of state, which found no underage voters, only 74 potential felon voters and only two votes that may have been improperly cast in the name of dead voters.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Feds end Rudy Giuliani probe with no lobbying charges