Kushner firms under investigation over visa programme
Federal prosecutors are investigating Kushner Companies, the real estate firm owned by the family of Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior advisor, over its use of a program that grants visas to wealthy overseas investors.
The authorities, in part, are looking into the role of Kushner’s sister, Nicole Meyer, according to a person familiar with the matter who confirmed the inquiry.
The investigation centers on the real estate company’s use of the so-called EB-5 programme, which offers visas to foreigners in exchange for a $500,000 investment. Critics say the programme has weak oversight and lax rules.
At a marketing event in May, Meyer promoted the company’s connections to the Trump administration as she courted Chinese investors for a pair of luxury apartment towers being built by the Kushner Companies in New Jersey.
The project “means a lot to me and my entire family,” she told prospective investors at the RitzCarlton Hotel in Beijing.
Kushner gave up his role running the family company in January. He still owns a significant piece of the business.
In a statement, Kushner Companies’ general counsel, Emily Wolf, said the company was cooperating with the authorities.
“EB-5 is a longstanding federal program that is frequently used by many large developers to raise funds and help create jobs,” Wolf said. “Kushner Companies utilised the program, fully complied with its rules and regulations and did nothing improper.”
She added: “Neither Kushner Companies nor Nicole Meyer have done anything wrong in connection with the EB-5 program, and any suggestion to the contrary is simply false.
The company and Meyer are cooperating with all legal requests in order to show that they did everything properly and clear up any questions.”
The investigation was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal, which said Kushner Companies had received a subpoena. The focus of the investigation is unclear.
The authorities, are looking into the role of Kushner’s sister, Nicole Meyer