U.S. federal prosecutors say they will not retry former Democratic senator and one-time presidential candidate John Edwards on charges of breaking federal election laws.

A judge declared a mistral last month after the jury acquitted Edwards on one count and deadlocked on five other counts. Wednesday's decision means the Justice Department is dropping its case.

Edwards was accused of misusing a million dollar campaign fund to hide an affair with his pregnant mistress while he ran for president in 2008. His wife was ill with breast cancer during the campaign. She died in 2010.

Edwards denied doing anything illegal, but admitted after the trial that he did an “awful, awful lot that was wrong.”

Edwards was a U.S. senator from North Carolina from 1989 to 2005. He was also the Democrats' vice-presidential nominee in 2004.