--- title: "Justice Department Investigating Tesla for Wire Fraud" description: "Justice Department is widening its probe into Tesla as it seeks to figure out whether it made fraudulent claims about self-driving." date: "2024-05-08" modified: "2024-05-08" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/justice-department-tesla-wire-fraud" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "autopilot" - "justice department" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Justice Department Investigating Tesla for Wire Fraud ![Justice Department is widening its probe into Tesla as it seeks to figure out whether it made fraudulent claims about self-driving.]() *\Image: Apu Gomes via Getty / Futurism\* ## Full Self-Doubt The Department of Justice is widening its probe into Tesla as it seeks to figure out whether the Elon Musk-owned company made fraudulent claims about its self-driving capabilities. As [*Reuters* reports](), three sources familiar with the matter say that the DOJ's investigation, [first reported back in 2022](), is eyeing securities and wire fraud as it looks at comments Musk and other Tesla executives made about its so-called "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) modes. The sources didn't specify which exact comments the Justice Department was scrutinizing. But over the years, [Tesla has repeatedly gotten in trouble]() over its assisted-driving features, which critics and some regulators say dangerously mislead drivers into [thinking their cars can drive themselves](). Although not meant to be fully autonomous, both of Tesla's assisted driving modes have also come under regulatory scrutiny in recent years as the accident and death tolls associated with the company's self-driving efforts [climb higher and higher](). ## Reroute and Recall News of the DOJ honing in on specific criminal liabilities in its ongoing probe comes just a few days after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [demanded more information from Tesla]() about Autopilot-related crashes. In December, Tesla was [forced to recall](), via software patch, more than two million of its Autopilot-enabled electric vehicles after the NHTSA said the company didn't do enough to ensure drivers were paying attention when using it. After the recall, however, an additional 20 crashes occurred, leading to the agency to [open an investigation]() into the recall itself as it [issued a damning report]() about crashes that occurred when drivers were using Tesla's assisted-driving software. In a letter sent to the EV maker on Monday, the agency requested that Tesla explain its recall protocols and demanded more information about how many miles per week were driven using assisted driving, how often drivers were warned to put their hands on the wheel, and how often drivers had been given "strikes" or temporary Autopilot suspensions for failing to adhere to safety warnings. As the [*Wall Street Journal* noted]() in its reporting on the NHTSA demand earlier this week, several other agencies are also investigating Tesla, including the [Securities and Exchange Commission](), which has for nearly six years been looking into whether the company committed securities and wire fraud when [Musk stupidly tweeted]() that he was going to [take the company public]() at $420 a share. **More on Tesla:** [*Self-Driving Tesla Almost Crashes Head-on Into Police Car*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()