The investigation into Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s use of company funds is wider than previously thought, according to a new report that indicates the Department of Justice is looking into perks provided to the executive and how money was transferred between his companies. The probe is now looking into more than just the glass house he was allegedly using company funds to build in Austin, Texas.
Reports of an investigation into Musk first emerged after the Department of Justice started looking into how millions of dollars of company money were used to buy large-format glass panels. It was suspected that they could be used for “Project 42,” described internally as a house for Musk.
Although the executive has denied that the house is being built or that it is even being planned, a section from the new biography covering Musk’s life suggests that he did at one time plan to build a glass home that “should be like something fell out of space, like a structure from another galaxy landed in the lake.” However, the book also states that he “put off building it.”
Read: Tesla Investors Burnt By Elon Musk’s ‘Taking Private’ Tweet To Get Compensated
That may be due to an internal investigation launched by Tesla executives such as Zach Kirkhorn, who served as chief financial officer until he stepped down in August. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that the scope of DOJ’s investigation is wider than just the funds potentially used for the house.
Citing unnamed sources, it reports that federal investigators now want to know whether Tesla properly disclosed the perks that its CEO, the richest man on earth, received. It is allegedly seeking information about transactions made between Tesla and Musk’s other companies, such as Neuralink, The Boring Company, xAI, SpaceX, and X, formerly known as Twitter.
The outlet indicates that the widening of the investigation’s scope suggests that it may be pursuing criminal charges against Elon Musk. Information stretching back to 2017 is reportedly being sought by the Department of Justice.
