EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Sansone, the husband of Fox News host Julie Banderas, has been cleared of criminal charges after she accused him of holding a knife to her throat during a fight over mashed potatoes

The husband of Fox News anchor Julie Banderas has been cleared of criminal charges after she accused him of putting a steak knife to her throat during an argument over mashed potatoes, the DailyMail.com can reveal.

A city judge in Southampton, New York, found Andrew Sansone not guilty after hearing evidence in a no-jury trial after he claimed he only took the knife in jest and never actually threatened her after she ate potatoes he had prepared for the children’s parties. dinner.

However, Sansone, 55, said his wife made up the story during their messy divorce battle.

“This malicious accusation against my client was a blatant abuse of the criminal justice system, using it as a sword, not a shield, purely to influence the divorce court,” his lawyer Edward Burke told DailyMail.com on Monday.

But her lawyer Frank Blangiardo resisted.

“Marital violence is no joke,” he said.

“Control and jealousy in divorce abound. After a year of divorce proceedings, an estranged husband can’t point a knife at his wife, period.’

Sansone was arrested and charged with menacing and criminal possession of weapons for the alleged incident at their home in the Hamptons on the night of December 14.

The Fox presenter, 49, accused him of becoming enraged by pointing the knife at her neck, causing her to fear for her life. Their children, ages 6, 10 and 12, were reportedly elsewhere in the house at the time.

It was five days before she called the police on December 19 and her husband of 14 was led out of the house in handcuffs. A judge later issued a restraining order prohibiting him from having further contact with his wife.

Earlier in the day, according to the police report, the couple argued over money — a common flashpoint as they fought over their impending divorce and custody issues.

The criminal charges were issued at a trial in June where the warring spouses presented their competing versions of the mashed potato incident.

Judge Gary Weber, in his July 25 ruling, summarized the arguments, noting that Sansone had prepared a new recipe and that Banderas tasted it by taking several spoonfuls from the mixing bowl.

According to Banderas’ testimony, it was the third scoop that got him going. She claimed that her husband took the knife from the counter and held it “right to my throat but didn’t touch my skin” after he warned, “Stop, don’t touch the potatoes again.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Banderas said she screamed, to which he replied, “I thought you had a sense of humor.” I was just kidding.’

Sansone told the court his wife rubbed against him and that he told her in a “playful, sarcastic way” to wait for dinner, gesturing with the knife at arm’s length.

The judge pointed out that Sansone also sent a simultaneous text message to the friend who gave him the recipe, with a photo of the dish, while stating that the spices were a hit.

Sansone testified that his wife then had dinner with the family and later went out with friends until 2 a.m. to drink at a local bar. He claimed she twisted the innocent interaction into a criminal complaint.

Banderas testified that she did not eat with the family that night and went to her bedroom alone before heading out.

During cross-examination, Banderas admitted that she had previously threatened to put a “very juicy story” about her husband in the media to exploit her position in the divorce, according to the judge’s summary.

“These candid admissions can be seen as affecting the credibility of the complainant,” Judge Weber wrote in his July 25 ruling.

The judge also wrote that there were no other witnesses to corroborate Banderas’ claims, and that “there is no evidence of a history of violence or threats of violence that tends to incriminate the defendant’s testimony.”

‘For all these reasons’, the judge ruled, ‘the court finds that the Volk has not been able to prove conclusively that the defendant possessed the steak knife with the intention of using it unlawfully against another person or to place another person in a reasonable position. fear of bodily harm or death.”

Banderas, who joined the Fox News Channel in 2005, serves as a substitute weekday anchor on Outnumbered. She was awarded the Outstanding Single Newscast Emmy for her coverage of the 2004 Republican National Convention.

She filled in for Harris Faulkner on The Faulkner Focus on Monday when she defended Donald Trump in his legal battle with Special Counsel Jack Smith.

“It’s not a crime to tell lies,” she remarked. Being a narcissist is not a crime. Hatching plans to stay in office is not a crime. Claiming that you won an election that you know you lost is not a crime.’

When DailyMail.com contacted her, she declined to comment on the outcome of the lawsuit.

Sansone, a financial advisor, filed for divorce in March 2022.

Banderas announced their separation on her Twitter account on Dec. 9, saying her husband was her “soon to be ex,” in response to a fan telling her that the couple had left them in “stitches.”

It was five days later that Sansone allegedly threatened her with the knife.

In February, the Fox anchor sensationally announced live on Gutfeld that she was getting a divorce.

The mother-of-three was seen laughing when presenter Greg Gutfeld asked if she’d get anything for Valentine’s Day.

“F**k Valentine’s Day,” she replied, sitting coolly with her arm on the back of the chair. ‘Yes, it’s stupid. Even when I was married I didn’t get s**t for Valentine’s Day… well I’m getting a divorce, I’m going to say it here for the first time.

“Congratulations, if you knew me you’d applaud… That was just the latest news,” joked the 18-year-old Fox veteran, who married Sansone in 2009.