Following his 2008 campaign, Edwards was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 3, 2011, on six felony charges of violating multiple federal campaign contribution laws to cover up an extramarital affair to which he eventually admitted. He was found not guilty on one count, and the judge declared a mistrial on the remaining five charges, as the jury was unable to come to an agreement. The Justice Department dropped the remaining charges and did not attempt to retry Edwards. He was not convicted of a crime, but the revelation that he engaged in an extramarital affair and fathered a child while his wife, Elizabeth, was dying of cancer gravely damaged his public image and ended his career in politics.