SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A judge has dismissed pay-to-play charges against former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, ending a high-profile case against the state's former top law officer.

 

Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills on Wednesday granted the motion to dismiss seven counts of obstructing justice and accepting improper gifts such as beach vacations from businessmen in trouble with regulators.

 

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings moved to drop the charges earlier this month, citing the recent Supreme Court dismissal of the bribery conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. Rawlings also said federal investigators would not cooperate and share evidence.

 

Shurtleff, a Republican, spent a dozen years as Utah's attorney general before leaving office in early 2013.

 

In 2014, he and successor John Swallow were arrested in a joint investigation.

 

Swallow still faces 13 charges of bribery and other crimes. He has pleaded not guilty.