Investigation of Trump Organization now exploring possible criminal conduct, N.Y. attorney general’s office says

New York Attorney General Letitia James's investigation into the Trump Organization is now considered a criminal matter, James's office said Tuesday night, noting that officials with the former president's company were recently apprised of the development.

"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the company is no longer purely civil in nature," said Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for the attorney general's office. "We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA. We have no additional comment at this time."

The attorney general's notification to the Trump Organization suggested a cooperative relationship has developed between investigators working for James and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., whose office has been heading a criminal probe into the company and its officers since 2018. Both officials are Democrats. A person familiar with the matter, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said the district attorney was not specifically mentioned in James's letter to Trump's company.

The attorney general's decision appears to have increased the legal risk that former president Donald Trump faces in New York, where the parallel investigations run by James and Vance had already delved more deeply into Trump's byzantine finances than any law enforcement authorities ever had.

Previously, the danger posed by James's investigation seemed to be merely financial — the kind of lawsuit Trump had faced from New York attorneys general before over his Trump University and his charity. Those cost him money but didn't threaten his liberty.

Now, however, James could also seek criminal penalties. And she appears to be cooperating with Vance's office, a move that could allow the two wide-ranging investigations to share data.