The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly opening a criminal investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll committed perjury in her civil cases against President Donald Trump. Carroll was awarded a total of $83.3 million in damages from the proceedings.
The reported inquiry also examines a nonprofit that provided funding for Carroll's legal efforts. Carroll, now 82 and living in upstate New York, first accused Trump in 2019 of a sexual assault that she said occurred 25 years earlier at Bergdorf Goodman. A jury previously found Trump liable for defamation and a lesser degree of sexual abuse, awarding Carroll $5 million initially. Her attorney Roberta Kaplan told the court the goal was to give enough money to make him stop, after which the total rose to $83.3 million. Carroll has discussed plans for the funds, including donations to women's reproductive rights and voting rights initiatives. She has not yet received the money, according to the report.
