The DOJ has opened a criminal probe into E. Jean Carroll's 2022 deposition testimony and Reid Hoffman's nonprofit funding of her anti-Trump lawsuits.
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll committed perjury during a 2022 deposition related to her sexual abuse lawsuits against Donald Trump [1]. The probe centers on Carroll's denial, under oath, that she received outside financial support for her litigation, a claim undermined by later disclosures that American Future Republic, a nonprofit linked to LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, paid a portion of her legal fees [2]. Federal investigators have also extended scrutiny to Hoffman's trust, examining potential money laundering, obstruction, and conspiracy violations [1].
The investigation is run out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois [1]. It is not tied to any single pending motion or trial, but its timing is notable: Carroll is actively seeking to collect on the $5 million civil judgment a Manhattan jury awarded her in 2023 [2]. The probe was first reported by CNN on May 27, 2026, and confirmed by NBC News the same day [1][2]. Andrew Boutros, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, publicly denied that his office had opened a Carroll-specific investigation, a denial that stands in tension with reporting that the probe originates from that district [3]. Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the matter, citing his prior representation of Trump in proceedings related to the Carroll appeals [1].
The investigation carries significant procedural weight. A perjury finding arising from civil discovery testimony would implicate Carroll's credibility and potentially expose her counsel, Roberta Kaplan, to related professional scrutiny [2]. The expansion of the probe to Hoffman's trust elevates the matter beyond witness conduct and into the financing architecture behind civil litigation against a sitting president [3]. Critics have noted the investigation fits a pattern of DOJ scrutiny directed at individuals and entities that have pursued or funded legal action against Trump, a dynamic that courts and legal observers have begun to examine as a structural concern for civil litigants [1].
No grand jury indictment has been reported, and no charges have been filed against Carroll, Hoffman, or any affiliated entity as of publication [2]. Carroll's collection proceedings on the $5 million judgment remain active in the Southern District of New York, and it is unclear whether the criminal probe will affect those civil enforcement efforts [3]. Blanche's recusal leaves the matter in the hands of a yet-unnamed DOJ official, and neither DOJ nor Carroll's legal team has issued a statement confirming the full scope of the investigation [1].