Mayor de Blasio will face no criminal charges in the probe of his 2013 election campaign fund-raising, a federal prosecutor announced Thursday. (Jefferson Siegel/New York Daily News)

Mayor de Blasio dodged both state and criminal charges Thursday in connection with an alleged pay-to-play scheme, but was not spared sharp criticism for failing to abide by the “intent and spirit” of the law.

In simultaneous announcements, Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim and Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. revealed the mayor will not be prosecuted in connection with the sketchy money-raising efforts.

The mayor quickly claimed vindication, even though neither prosecutor declared that de Blasio or his aides followed the letter of the law in the 2013 campaign or the next year’s State Senate race.

“I can tell you this much: we did everything within the law, everything within a clear ethical standard,” the mayor said on his radio show Thursday morning.

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“We sought guidance and clarity from the city conflicts of interest board along the way, sought advice from counsel."

Vance, in a 10-page letter explaining his decision, acknowledged “the conduct here may have violated the Election Law ... (but) the parties involved cannot be appropriately prosecuted, given their reliance on the advice of counsel.”

Essentially, those who participated were led to believe by election lawyer Lawrence Laufer that their fund-raising efforts were legal.

The district attorney added that his decision “is not an endorsement of the conduct at issue; indeed, the transactions appear contrary to the intent and spirit of the laws.”

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The behavior of the mayor and his staff “creates an end run around the direct candidate contribution limits,” wrote Vance.

De Blasio — who received word of the statements as they were made public — bristled when asked about Vance’s scathing letter.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim announced the mayor will not be prosecuted in connection with his campaign financing.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim announced the mayor will not be prosecuted in connection with his campaign financing. (AP)

“We did things legally, appropriately, ethically and for causes that really mattered to people within New York City,” the mayor said. “That’s all there is to say.”

Kim, in his statement, said “after careful deliberation ... 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.”

Under fired U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, federal prosecutors in Manhattan thoroughly investigated incidents where “Mayor de Blasio and others acting on his behalf solicited donations from individuals who sought official favors,” Kim said.

Afterward, “the mayor made or directed inquiries to relevant city agencies on behalf of these donors,” the prosecutor added.

Kim said he decided to make a rare public declaration about the probe “in order not to unduly influence the upcoming campaign and mayoral election.”

The decision not to prosecute took into account “the high burden of proof,” said Kim.

The lack of charges will likely give pause to potential November challengers to the incumbent mayor — particularly those who awaited the outcome of the probe before making a decision.

Bradley Tusk, a former Bloomberg adviser looking for a Democrat to run against de Blasio, admitted as much.

“Although the city deserves far better than this, the people best positioned to succeed in a Democratic primary are now unlikely to run — and we should therefore expect four more years of Bill de Blasio," Tusk said in a statement.
The investigation into Mayor de Blasio's campaign fund-raising was spearheaded by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
The investigation into Mayor de Blasio's campaign fund-raising was spearheaded by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. (BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS)

But prime GOP challenger Paul Massey said the investigations alone were enough to raise questions about the mayor.

“The stench of corruption emanating from City Hall remains, with a record number of misconduct investigations into Mayor de Blasio (D-Corruption) at a cost of millions of dollars to taxpayers,” he said in a statement.

De Blasio met with federal prosecutors in February to answer questions about whether he or his aides offered any quid pro quo for donors to his campaign or his now defunct nonprofit Campaign for One New York.

He also sat down with the Manhattan district attorney in December. Both the federal and state grand juries began hearing evidence in the probe at about the same time.

Critics and ethics watchdogs blasted the Campaign for One New York as essentially a slush fund for the mayor. The nonprofit group accepted donations from a mix of developers, unions, lobbyists, and other firms — some with business before the city.

Donors to Campaign for One New York who had business pending with the administration gave at least $3 million of the $4.3 million raised by de Blasio.

The fund-raising practices in the upstate Senate races were intended to steer donations to four candidates.

Cleared as well were Emma Wolfe, a de Blasio confidante and the mayor's intergovernmental affairs director, and Ross Offinger, one of his fund-raisers.

“We've maintained throughout this investigation that our client Ross Offinger did nothing wrong,” said his lawyer Harlan Levy. “Today's decision vindicates his integrity and professionalism.”