DOJ Opens Criminal Probe Into Trump Accuser E. Jean Carroll, Who Won $83 Million Suit Against Him

BreakingBusinessDOJ Opens Criminal Probe Into Trump Accuser E. Jean Carroll, Who Won $83 Million Suit Against HimBySiladitya Ray,Forbes Staff. Siladitya Ray is a New Delhi-based Forbes news team reporter.Follow AuthorMay 28, 2026, 02:17am EDTMay 28, 2026, 02:17am EDTTopline The Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into writer E. Jean Carroll, who has accused President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in the past and has won an $83.3 million defamation judgment against him, according to multiple reports late on Wednesday. E. Jean Carroll exits the New York Federal Court after former President Donald Trump appeared in court, in 2024.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.Key FactsThe investigation, first reported by CNN, citing unnamed sources, is looking into whether Carroll committed perjury while testifying in her two civil lawsuits against Trump.According to the New York Times, the probe has been launched by Trump appointee and U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew S. Boutros.Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has reportedly recused himself from the case due to his previous work as the president’s personal attorney in the Carroll case.The probe focuses on Carroll’s 2022 deposition, in which she said she received no outside funding for her civil suit against Trump, but court filings later showed that a Chicago non-profit linked to billionaire and Trump critic Reid Hoffman helped pay for some of Carroll’s expenses.At the time of the trial, Trump’s lawyers had attacked Carroll and accused her of conspiring to “conceal the truth” about the funding, although the writer’s lawyers argued that the issue did not impact the merits of the case. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src =...