The Department of Justice (DOJ) has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll committed perjury during litigation against President Donald Trump, according to multiple reports citing sources familiar with the matter.
Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, accused Trump of sexually abusing her in a New York department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. She won two civil verdicts against Trump, meaning juries found him liable in civil cases and ordered him to pay damages, though he has not been convicted of a crime. Trump has repeatedly denied the sexual abuse allegation. Carroll won a combined $88.3 million across her two civil cases against Trump, with juries finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation, according to The Hill. Trump has appealed both outcomes.
The DOJ probe, first reported by CNN on May 27, centers on statements Carroll made in a 2022 deposition about whether outside donors helped fund her lawsuits, according to the outlet. Carroll testified that she had not received outside financial support for her legal fees, but later disclosures reportedly revealed that billionaire Reid Hoffman, a LinkedIn co-founder and major donor to the Democratic Party, helped fund some legal expenses through a nonprofit, CNN reported.
Carroll’s lawyers have said she never met or communicated with Hoffman or anyone associated with the nonprofit about the funding, according to CNN. Alina Habba, who represented Trump at the time of the deposition, argued in court in 2022 that Carroll’s team had “conspired to conceal the truth for nearly six months.”
According to ABC News, federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois are leading the investigation.
Reuters reported that the launch of an investigation does not necessarily mean charges will be brought against Carroll.
A federal appeals court recently permitted Trump to postpone payment of the $83.3 million judgment while the Supreme Court weighs whether to hear the case. CNN reported that the justices have repeatedly put off acting on Trump’s petition, deferring the decision to hear the case 12 times.