More than a year after New York Attorney General Letitia James won a half-billion dollar civil fraud case against President Trump, the Justice Department under Mr. Trump has launched a criminal fraud probe targeting James, multiple sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation.

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York John A. Sarcone III told the Albany Times-Union that the investigation was “being handled at this time by main [Department of] Justice and the Albany FBI field office.

Last month, Lowell sent a letter to the Department of Justice refuting the allegations laid out in Pulte’s letter. In a letter to Bondi, Lowell called the allegations “long-disproven” and the investigation, “the latest act of improper political retribution — this time directed at Ms. James — publicly instigated and endorsed by President Trump.”

In February 2024, a New York judge ordered Mr. Trump, his company and two of his adult sons to pay the State of New York about $364 million. The figure, with interest accumulated over more than a decade, currently totals more than $500 million. Trump has appealed the ruling.

The ruling came after a lengthy civil trial in which James’ office accused Mr. Trump of spearheading an effort to use fraudulent property valuations and estimates of Mr. Trump’s net worth to obtain favorable loan rates and insurance deals he wouldn’t otherwise have gotten received.