The top federal prosecutor in Chicago said Friday that his office is not investigating E. Jean Carroll [1, 2].
The clarification addresses potential legal risks for the woman who won civil judgments against former President Donald Trump. If the investigation had targeted Carroll directly, it could have signaled a criminal shift in a long-running legal battle between the two parties.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois said the office is instead focusing its probe on a nonprofit organization [1, 2]. This specific entity helped fund the civil lawsuit that Carroll brought against Trump [1, 2].
The prosecutor said the investigation targets possible misconduct by the nonprofit [1, 2]. He did not specify the nature of the alleged misconduct or the name of the organization involved in the funding of the civil case [1, 2].
Federal authorities in Chicago have the jurisdiction to investigate financial irregularities or regulatory violations involving nonprofits based in the district. The current focus remains on the financial mechanisms of the litigation funding, rather than the testimony or actions of the plaintiff [1, 2].
Carroll has been a central figure in several legal proceedings involving Trump over the last several years. The civil cases focused on allegations of sexual abuse and defamation, resulting in significant monetary awards [1, 2].
“The probe is instead focused on a nonprofit that helped fund Carroll’s civil lawsuit.”
This distinction separates the legal standing of the individual accuser from the financial entities that support high-stakes litigation. By focusing on the nonprofit, the U.S. Attorney's office is examining the legality of litigation funding—a complex area of law—rather than challenging the veracity of the civil claims made by Carroll against Donald Trump.
