US drops probe into News Corp's phone hacking scandal

The United States Department of Justice has decided not to prosecute News Corp or its sister company Twenty-First Century Fox after completing an investigation of scandals in the United Kingdon involving phone hacking and alleged bribery of public officials.

The end of the probe, disclosed by News Corp in a regulatory filing on Monday, comes after the U.S. government spent years combing through thousands of e-mails from News Corp's servers.

A U.S. law enforcement official confirmed to Reuters that the case, which included an investigation of possible violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, had been closed by the Justice Department. News Corp was notified about the decision on Jan. 28.

The FBI was not immediately available to comment.

The investigation was related to the 2011 phone hacking and bribery charges involving News Corp's British newspaper, the now-defunct News of the World. Journalists from News Corp's daily tabloid The Sun have also faced prosecution by British authorities.

Rupert Murdoch controls both News Corp and Fox, which split into separate businesses in 2013.

Multiple investigations and court cases continue in Britain.

Reuters