The Caddo Parish grand jury today cleared Shreveport attorney Daryl Gold of accusations he illegally used his ex-wife’s identity to obtain a large line of credit, rejecting charges brought by the Caddo sheriff’s office.

Grand jurors heard testimony -- including from Gold – and then voted to clear him.

Gold, one of the area’s best-known criminal defense lawyers, adamantly denied the charges, saying they were the result of baseless allegations by an ex-wife involved in a bitter child-custody case. After his arrest this past summer, he lashed out at Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator's office, calling the investigation by the financial crimes unit "unprofessional."

He was more subdued today, saying, “I’m certainly glad I was vindicated like I said I would be.”

Defense attorney Marty Stroud said the charge was baseless and the grand jury saw through it. He would not criticize Prator directly but said “big government in this case lost.”

“The citizens of Caddo Parish and the grand jury sent a message there was no case,” Stroud said.

 Prator issued a statement today saying he accepted the grand jury’s decision.

“The Louisiana attorney general’s office and the Caddo district judge who signed his arrest warrant felt like we had enough to pursue the charges,” Prator said in a prepared statement. “But the grand jury felt like there wasn’t enough; therefore the system worked like it is intended to work.

The case was presented to the grand jury by the state attorney general's office. The Caddo district attorney's office recused itself from prosecuting the case, citing a close working relationship with Gold over the years.