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Greg Kelly Case Well-Handled by Prosecutors, Bloomberg Says

By Jill Colvin | February 8, 2012 2:40pm
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 21: Journalist Greg Kelly attends the 'Runaway' New York premiere at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema on October 21, 2010 in New York City. Greg Kelly, a co-host for Fox 5's "Good Day New York," is being investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney's office for allegedly raping a woman in October. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 21: Journalist Greg Kelly attends the 'Runaway' New York premiere at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema on October 21, 2010 in New York City. Greg Kelly, a co-host for Fox 5's "Good Day New York," is being investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney's office for allegedly raping a woman in October. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
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Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

EAST HARLEM — Mayor Michael Bloomberg commended the Manhattan District Attorney’s handling of rape allegations against Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s son, Greg Kelly, after the office announced it will not be pressing charges in the case.

“I thought Cy Vance did exactly what he should do. He right away called his best sex crime investigators, put it on the case,” Bloomberg told reporters at an unrelated press conference in East Harlem, less than 24 hours after Vance’s office sent a letter to Kelly’s lawyer concluding no charges would be brought.

“They concluded, apparently, according to the paper [where Bloomberg read the news], that there was no law broken, no reason to bring charges on either side and dismissed the thing,” he said, dismissing the news as a distraction.

District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.
District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.
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District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. is expected to speak at a rally against domestic violence Thursday on the Upper West Side.

“Now let’s get back to focusing on things that take this city and this country forward,” he said.

The comments came after Martha Bashford, chief of the DA's sex crimes unit, sent a letter to Kelly's lawyer informing him that after “a thorough investigation” the office did not believe the "Good Day New York" co-host had broken the law.

“After reviewing the evidence, we have determined that the facts established during our investigation do not fit the definitions of sexual assault crimes under New York criminal law,” it read.

The sexual assault complaint against Kelly surfaced after a 29-year-old paralegal walked into the 13th precinct stationhouse on Jan. 24 and accused Kelly of assaulted her while she was virtually passed out.

The woman told investigators, sources said, that she and Kelly met on the street two days before going on a date at the South Street Seaport on Oct. 8. That's where the two spent several hours drinking, before heading to her Financial District law office, where the incident allegedly occurred.

But the pair later exchanged text messages, saying they’d had a good time and discussing getting together again, sources said, undermining her case.

The investigation had been turned over to the DA's office by the NYPD to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, and Commissioner Kelly had refused to comment on the case.

Bloomberg said Wednesday that he had not spoken to the elder Kelly since hearing about the DA's decision, but once again praised the NYPD for its handling of the complaint.

“I thought the Police Department did exactly what they should do. They should turn it over immediately, which they did, to the District Attorney,” he said.

The police commissioner has been under fire in recent months for allegations that the police department has been spying on Muslim communities and his participation in the film, ‘The Third Jihad,’ which paints Muslims as bent on world domination.