DOJ investigation referred E. Jean Carroll for prosecution in Chicago

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The Justice Department earlier this year referred an investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine writer who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, to federal prosecutors in Chicago, a law enforcement source told the Chicago Sun-Times.

That investigation is active within U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros’ office, the source said.

Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor Boutros' office immediately responded to requests for comment Wednesday night.

The story was first reported by https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/27/politics/exclusive-justice-department-launched-e-jean-carroll-investigation" target="_blank" >CNN.

Prosecutors are focused on a 2022 deposition by Carroll in which she said she received no outside funding for her legal action against Trump, though it was later revealed that billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman had chipped in for some legal fees and expenses, CNN reported.

Hoffman has a nonprofit based in Chicago.

In January 2024, as Trump closed in on the Republican presidential nomination, a jury awarded $83.3 million to Carroll in that same suit for Trump’s continued social media attacks against her over her https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/6/21/18701574/e-jean-carroll-donald-trump-rape" target="_blank" >claims that he sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store.

That total includes a https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/5/9/23717528/jury-finds-trump-liable-for-sexual-abuse-awards-accuser-e-jean-carroll-5-million" target="_blank" >$5 million sexual abuse and defamation verdict in May 2023 she was awarded by another jury.

The jury that issued the May 2023 verdict rejected Carroll’s claim that she was raped, finding Trump responsible for a lesser degree of sexual abuse.

The judgment offered vindication to Carroll, whose allegations had been mocked and dismissed by Trump for years.

Trump has since appealed the awards multiple times, including to the Supreme Court, which has https://apnews.com/article/trump-carroll-abuse-defamation-670dd7ed241e22c52bd16e82a9febf69" target="_blank" >repeatedly rejected the president’s requests to hear the case.

It comes at a time when Boutros’ office is embroiled in the https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/05/27/broadview-six-boutros-kat-abughazaleh-ice-trump-chicago-broadview" target="_blank" >biggest credibility crisis it has faced in recent memory.

The “Broadview Six” case against six Operation Midway Blitz protesters https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/05/21/broadview-ice-protest-grand-jury-transcript-kat-abughazaleh-trump" target="_blank" >fell apart days before trial after a judge discovered improprieties during grand jury proceedings.

The alleged misconduct by prosecutors came to light only after a lengthy push by defense attorneys to get the judge to https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/05/04/broadview-six-grand-jury-transcript-conspiracy" target="_blank" >review unredacted transcripts of what occurred, and shockwaves from the case have begun to reach https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/05/27/broadview-six-boutros-kat-abughazaleh-ice-trump-chicago-broadview" target="_blank" >courts outside of Illinois.

Contributing: AP