A North Carolina jury has acquitted former US presidential candidate John Edwards on one count of taking illegal campaign contributions.
The judge declared a mistrial on five other counts because the jury was deadlocked.
The former Democratic Senator was found not guilty of accepting illegal campaign contributions from a supporter in 2008.
Prosecutors argued he used funds from two wealthy donors during his 2008 presidential campaign to keep voters from learning he was cheating on his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth, who died in 2010.
Speaking after the case, the 58-year-old said that while he never believed he broke the law, he did make many mistakes.
"While I do not believe I did anything illegal, or ever thought I was doing anything illegal, I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong, and there is no one else responsible for my sins," Mr Edwards said.
He was flanked by his parents and 30-year-old daughter, Cate, who stood by him throughout the proceedings.
"I am responsible, and if I want to find the person who should be held accountable for my sins, honestly I don't have to go any further than the mirror. It's me. It is me and me alone."
He went on to call his four-year-old daughter, who he fathered with then-mistress Rielle Hunter, "my precious Quinn, who I love more than any of you could ever imagine" and said he still hoped to one day help the country's poor children.
The jury's decision on the ninth day of deliberations capped a nearly six-week-long trial that included sensational testimony more befitting of a soap opera than a campaign for the country's highest political office.
Jurors heard about tawdry affair details, furtive phone calls and secret donor checks written under the guise of buying furniture, as former campaign workers and supporters painted an unflattering portrait of Mr Edwards.
The trial's outcome marked yet another dramatic turn of events for the two-time presidential hopeful who beat a Republican incumbent senator in his first political race and became the Democrats' vice presidential nominee just six years later.
As the jury's verdict was read, Mr Edwards, who did not testify during the trial and faced possible fines and prison time if convicted, slumped back in his seat in relief.
US Justice Department prosecutors are unlikely to retry Mr Edwards, but a final decision will be made in the coming days, a law enforcement source said.
A department spokeswoman had no immediate comment on the jury results or what would happen next.
