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WEBVTT INTO OUR NEWSROOM. THE APP IS FREE IN GOOGLE PLAY AND THE APP STORE. STEPHANIE: THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS DECIDED NO CHARGES ARE WARRANTED AGAINST FORMER BURLINGTON COLLEGE PRESIDENT JANE SANDERS, WIFE OF SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS. THAT’S ACCORDING TO A SPOKESMAN FOR THE FAMILY. FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS HAD BEEN LOOKING INTO ALLEGATIONS RELATED TO THE NOW-DEFUNCT SCHOOL AND ITS 2010 PURCHASE OF THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE LAKEFRONT PROPERTY ON NORTH AVENUE. THE QUESTION WAS WHETHER MRS SANDERS OVERSTATED THE SCHOOL’S FINANCIAL STRENGTH ON A LOAN APPLICATION. SENATOR AND MRS. SANDERS ALWAYS DENIED WRONGDOING. THE SENATOR TOLD NBC-5 THE ALLEGATIONS WERE INSTIGATED BY REPUBLICAN PARTY LAWYER, BRADY TOENSING TO SMEAR HIS WIFE AT ABOUT THE TIME HE WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDEN TODAY, SANDERS SPOKESMAN JEFF WEAVER SIMPLY SAID, JANE IS GRATEFUL THAT THE INVESTIGATION HAS COME TO AN END. MRS. SANDERS DECLINED AN INTERVIEW THROUGH HER SPOKESMAN. LATER, TOENSING SAID HE’S PLEASED THE MATTER WAS PROFESSIONALLY INVESTIGATED, ADDING THAT FOR FEDERA PROSECUTORS, CRIMINAL STAN

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Sen. Bernie Sanders' wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders, will face no criminal charges related to a controversial land deal at Burlington College.Vermont's U.S. Attorney, Christina Nolan has informed Sanders the investigation into alleged wrongdoing has concluded and no charges will be filed, a Sanders spokesman said Tuesday."Jane is grateful that the investigation has come to an end," said spokesman Jeff Weaver. "As she has said from the beginning she has done nothing wrong and Jane is pleased that the matter has now come to a conclusion."Weaver told NBC5 Jane Sanders was unavailable for an interview. Nolan's office has not commented on the case.Jane Sanders was the president of the now-defunct school from 2004 until her removal in 2011.During her tenure, the college made a controversial decision to purchase 33 acres of lakefront property along North Avenue in Burlington for its new campus. The purchase, from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, raised eyebrows given the college's precarious financial condition. Brady Toensing, a lawyer and vice chairman of Vermont's Republican Party alleged Sanders overstated the college's fundraising when she signed a loan application for the purchase.Jane Sanders always maintained that she acted appropriately during the purchase.U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has expressed deep frustration over what he consider a politically motivated attack on his wife at about the same time he was launching his 2016 campaign for president.The land was auctioned off to housing developers when Burlington College closed in 2016.Burlington College was founded in 1972 as a small, progressive school. It was recognized in 2013 for its high rate of student internships.In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Toensing said:"It is a shame Burlington College Students, the Catholic Diocese, hard-working Vermont tradesmen, and others lost so much as a result of Ms. Sanders’s misconduct, but I am pleased that the matter was professionally investigated and assessed. "Criminal standards are extremely high, but now that the investigation is over, I look forward to a full explanation from Senator Sanders and his wife about the financial discrepancies in her loan application and the Senator’s involvement in procuring the loan."Download the MyNBC5 app | Like MyNBC5 on Facebook​ | Sign up for alerts