The FBI is looking into the office of the New York City district attorney office amid allegations of dropped cases against high-profile subjects whose lawyers made donations to Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.’s campaign.
FBI agents are seeking information regarding the decision-making process of Vance, a Democrat, and his staff relating to certain well-connected and influential subjects, according to a report in the New York Daily News.
Vance’s office was criticized in 2015 after it decided not to pursue allegations of sexual assault against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein. Some of Weinstein’s lawyers donated thousands of dollars to Vance before and after that decision.
Another case mentioned by the report was the district attorney not bringing criminal charges against the Trump family for an alleged real estate scam, before and after which thousands of dollars were donated.
Vance asked the Center for Advancement of Public Integrity at Columbia Law School to evaluate his campaign donation practices in 2017.
The organization made several recommendations, which Vance announced he would adopt, including that he would be unaware of who his contributors were and to cap donations at $320 from lawyers representing clients currently facing litigation in Manhattan.
