Former New York Gov. David Patterson is a very lucky man. The Albany County district attorney David Soares has decided to drop perjury charges against him for lying about accepting five free Yankee tickets for the 2009 World Series because he didn’t feel confident that he could prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Commission on Public Integrity had referred the case to the district attorney’s office because Paterson said he’d always intended to pay for the tickets and tried to pass of a backdated check to prove his claim. However, Paterson’s staff, the Yankees and a handwriting expert proved he was lying. The commission said that soliciting and accepting the tickets was a conflict of interest because the state and the baseball franchise have mutual financial interests.

Some people may think Patterson has already paid enough for what could be the most expensive Yankee tickets ever. The former governor had to pony up $2,125, the actual cost of the tickets and an eye-popping $60,000 for three violations of the state’s public officer’s law.

(Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)