NEW YORK • A New York judge threw out state mortgage fraud charges against Paul Manafort, ruling Wednesday that the criminal case was too similar to one that has landed President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman in federal prison.

The decision was a blow to what had widely been seen as an attempt by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., a Democrat, to hedge against the possibility that Trump would pardon Manafort for federal crimes. Vance’s office said it would appeal.

Manafort, 70, was convicted last year in two federal cases stemming from his business dealings and is serving a 7½-year prison sentence. He wasn’t in court Wednesday to see the state case dismissed because of a health problem.

Judge Maxwell Wiley cited in his decision New York’s strong double jeopardy protections, which prohibit state prosecutors in most cases from bringing charges against a person who has previously been charged for the same conduct under federal law.

“Basically, the law of double jeopardy in New York state provides a very narrow window for prosecution,” Wiley said, announcing his decision to prosecutors and Manafort’s lawyers at a hearing that lasted just a few minutes.

Coincidentally, it was scheduled for the same day that the U.S. House of Representatives was poised to impeach Trump over allegations he pressured his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate the son of political rival Joe Biden.

Defense lawyer Todd Blanche raised the double jeopardy issue soon after Manafort was indicted in New York in March. He wrote in court papers seeking a dismissal that the factual overlap between the federal and state cases “is extensive — if not total.”

“This indictment should never have been brought, and today’s decision is a stark reminder that the law and justice should always prevail over politically-motivated actions,” Blanche said in a written statement.

Manafort missed the ruling because of a heart-related condition that caused him to be moved last week to a hospital from a federal prison in Pennsylvania.

Paul Manafort

Seth Wenig