LOS ANGELES, September 12 — The Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly facing a criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice over the Kawhi Leonard salary-cap circumvention scandal, according to a HITC report citing the New York Times. Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into allegations involving the Clippers, the report states. The inquiry is in its earliest stages and is being conducted by the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn.
The New York Times report added that the scope of the inquiry, its targets, and the possible crimes being examined were unclear. Prosecutors have issued at least one subpoena as part of the investigation.
NBA sanctions already imposed
The federal development follows the NBA’s punishment of the Clippers, which included a $30 million fine and the forfeiture of five future first-round draft picks after the team was found guilty of salary cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard. Leonard himself was fined $700,000 for his role in the scandal. Many observers believed the NBA sanctions would end the troubles for owner Steve Ballmer and the Clippers.
The reported federal criminal inquiry means they are not in the clear.
What remains unknown
The report does not specify what crimes are being examined, who the targets are, or what the subpoena seeks. The Clippers and the Justice Department have not commented. The story was published by HITC on Friday, written by Aikansh Chaudhary, with a photo credit to Wally Skalij/Getty Images.
The article is framed as an expose and analysis piece for a site focused on exposes and analysis, and it emphasizes that the Clippers remain under scrutiny despite the earlier NBA penalties. No further details on the investigation, its timeline, or its potential outcomes were provided in the source.
What comes next is whether the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn widens its inquiry or brings charges, and whether the Clippers or the Justice Department break their silence.
