DOJ Launches Criminal Probe Into Jean Carroll Who Accused Trump Of Sexual Abuse

Last Updated:May 28, 2026, 07:32 IST

Prosecutors are hinging the case on a 2022 deposition made by Carroll that she had received no outside funding for her lawsuit against Trump

The United States Justice Department has initiated a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist, who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, said sources familiar with the matter.

As per a report by CNN, the investigation seeks to examine whether there was perjury on Carroll’s part in testimony linked to her two lawsuits against Trump — while one alleged she was sexually abused by the Republican President in a New York department store in the mid-90s, another claimed she was defamed by him in 2019, when he had denied the allegations and said she wasn’t “his type".

Prosecutors are hinging the case on a 2022 deposition made by Carroll that she had received no outside funding for her lawsuit against Trump, the report suggested.

The former columnist had told then-Trump attorney Alina Habba in a 2022 videotaped deposition that no one else was paying her legal fees.

However, it later came to the surface that billionaire Reid Hoffman had footed some of the legal bills and expenses, CNN reported.

As per the report, Carroll is embroiled in multiple legal battles with the President. Juries awarded her millions in damages, which Trump is appealing.

The US President appealed the USD 5 million that was awarded to Carroll in the sexual abuse case judgement to the Supreme Court. In addition, she received USD 83 million in the defamation, with Trump planning to appeal this as well.

Who Is E. Jean Carroll?

E. Jean Carroll — an American journalist, author and columnist — wrote for Elle Magazine. Her advice column ran from 1993 to 2019, emerging as one of the longest running such columns in the publishing history of the US.

Carroll is also recognised as the first female contributing editor for the country’s iconic Playboy magazine.

News world DOJ Launches Criminal Probe Into Jean Carroll Who Accused Trump Of Sexual Abuse

Read More