- Prosecutors are investigating whether Amazon deceived lenders about its injury rates.
- Federal regulators are increasingly scrutinizing Amazon's safety record.
Prosecutors for the Southern District of New York are investigating whether Amazon "engaged in a fraudulent scheme" to deceive lenders about injury rates at its warehouses in order to obtain credit, the Department of Justice $4 Wednesday.
The investigation was announced on the same day federal workplace safety regulators filed $4, which inspectors found put workers at high risk for back, muscle, and joint injuries. The citations were the latest in a $4 leveled against Amazon for putting workers at risk of such injuries.
An Amazon spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions.
Media reports and federal inspections have previously alleged that Amazon has underreported and misrepresented injuries at its facilities.
In December, federal regulators cited Amazon for $4. A 2020 investigation by the nonprofit newsroom Reveal found that Amazon had "$4" about an epidemic of injuries among its warehouse workers. As far back as 2015, regulators $4 for failing to record injuries as required.
In his first letter to shareholders last April, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy $4 to claim that Amazon's injury rate is "sometimes misunderstood." Jassy's statements prompted the Strategic Organizing Center, a union umbrella group, to $4 the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether the company was deceiving investors.
The precise details of the SDNY's investigation into whether Amazon misrepresented injury rates to potential creditors are not immediately clear from the Department of Justice's press release. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to questions.
The investigation is taking place as regulators and media have increased their scrutiny of injuries in Amazon warehouses.
An Insider investigation last year found that Amazon's pace of work $4. Workers at Amazon warehouses are $4 as workers in non-Amazon warehouses, a review of Washington state workers' compensation data showed.
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