Ravenstahl

PITTSBURGH — A federal grand jury that heard testimony from several staff members and police officials linked to former Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has expired without returning indictments.

Ravenstahl and his attorney have denied that there was any wrongdoing or that the former mayor was targeted.

U.S. Attorney David Hickton, who confirmed the investigation earlier this year without describing its scope or purpose, declined to comment Tuesday. Hickton could continue the probe by swearing in another grand jury, though there was no indication he planned to do that.

Ravenstahl, a Democrat, announced in March 2013 that he wouldn’t run for another four-year term less than two weeks after forcing his hand-picked police chief, Nathan Harper, to resign.

“I’ve done nothing wrong, and that will be proven over time,” Ravenstahl said then.

Harper has since been indicted, pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for diverting more than $70,000 from a police bank account into two unauthorized credit union accounts and then spending nearly $32,000 of that on himself.

Harper and his attorneys have said Ravenstahl directed the police chief to open the slush fund accounts, and Ravenstahl even acknowledged his bodyguards, who were police officers, had bank cards for the accounts.

Former federal prosecutor Bruce Antkowiak said the grand jury’s expiration bodes well for Ravenstahl.

Another grand jury could be impaneled to hear a summary of the evidence presented — the witnesses wouldn’t normally be called to testify again — and could be asked to return indictments. But Antkowiak said he believes that’s unlikely.