Tesla Internal Purchasing Probe Draws US Prosecutor Scrutiny

A Tesla Inc. plan to purchase hard-to-get construction materials is being investigated by US prosecutors, who are looking at whether the project was an appropriate use of company funds.

(Bloomberg) — A Tesla Inc. plan to purchase hard-to-get construction materials is being investigated by US prosecutors, who are looking at whether the project was an appropriate use of company funds.

The US Attorney’s Office in New York has sent subpoenas to a number of current and former employees at the EV-maker in recent weeks seeking information related to the materials, according to people familiar with the probe. The requests for information focus on correspondence with Omead Afshar, the individual at the center of an internal Tesla probe into the issue, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. 

Prosecutors are reviewing a 2022 a purchase order for construction material which was identified as suspicious by company officials. The order, for a special kind of glass, was flagged to Tesla’s finance and internal audit groups earlier last year.

Elon Musk and representatives for Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The US Attorneys Office in New York declined to comment.

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