DOJ Opens Criminal Probe Into E. Jean Carroll’s Trump Lawsuits Over Alleged Perjury

The U.S. Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll’s civil lawsuits against President Donald Trump, with ABC News reporting that the probe is centered on whether Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits after she was awarded a $5 million judgment.

“DOJ launches criminal probe into E”

ABC News

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation, and ABC News said the investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew Boutros.

ABC News

But the BBC reported that Andrew Boutros issued a statement saying his office "can confirm that it has not opened - and has never opened - a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll".

The BBC also said CBS later clarified that Carroll’s testimony about the funding of her civil lawsuits is being examined as part of a related investigation into a nonprofit run by Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn.

In the same dispute over who is targeted, CBS News reported that the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office can confirm that it has not opened—and has never opened—a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, calling any contrary claim "categorically false."

Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic donor, responded to the reports by accusing Trump of retaliation, writing in a five-part thread on X that "Trump cannot be allowed to use the full weight and power of the US Government to come after women who speak up, or anyone who supports them in doing so."

Business Insider reported that the scrutiny appeared to center on a 2022 deposition in which Carroll said no one was paying her legal fees, and that her lawyers later disclosed that funds from American Future Republic helped cover some litigation costs.

AP News

Hoffman framed the reported investigation as retaliation in language that CNN echoed, saying he believed the probe was meant to "silence" those who stand up to President Donald Trump.

CNN also reported that federal prosecutors are investigating whether Carroll, described as the 82-year-old former magazine columnist, committed perjury in connection with her two civil lawsuits, while sources said the investigation also scrutinizes Hoffman’s nonprofit, American Future Republic.

In a separate thread of reporting, CBS News said the theory hinges on whether Carroll lied when she said in a 2022 deposition that she received no outside funding for her lawsuit, and it said the investigation is being led out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

The reported probe sits alongside the civil judgments that Carroll won against Trump, including a $5 million award in 2023 and an $83.3 million defamation verdict in 2024, with ABC News describing judgments totaling nearly $90 million and CBS News citing $83.3 million in damages.

ABC News said the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2024 decision, rejected Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2023 judgment, including its rejection of evidence Trump said was "proof that a billionaire critic of President Trump had paid [Ms. Carroll's] legal fees."

USA Today reported that the Justice Department’s criminal investigation is focused on a nonprofit organization affiliated with Reid Hoffman that helped indirectly finance Carroll’s legal costs and expenses, and it said the source described the investigation as "very fluid and ongoing."

NBC News added that one source said investigators are looking at possible money laundering, obstruction and conspiracy, and that they are also looking into a possible perjury charge related to Carroll’s testimony, though it said it’s not the main focus of the probe.

As the dispute continues over whether Carroll is the subject, the BBC reported that Boutros denied media reports that his office opened an investigation into Carroll, while CBS News later said the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office can confirm it has not opened—and has never opened—a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll.