Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) critic and Plainsite founder Aaron Greenspan may have been denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, but he gained something just as juicy.
It was revealed on Twitter on Wednesday that a FOIA request from the Tesla critic was denied due to the requested documents’ involvement in a grand jury probe.
Just last week, Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk banned Greenspan from the platform.
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This discovery might mean that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) criminal investigation into Tesla’s self-driving claims has taken a significant step forward since it was announced in October last year.
In the federal criminal process, once the investigating agency has presented its findings to the prosecutor and sufficient evidence is determined to exist, the case is brought before a grand jury. The grand jury then reviews the evidence, listens to the prosecutor and witnesses, and then votes in secret on whether they believe there is enough evidence to charge the person or entity with a crime.
If the assumption that the grand jury probe is related to the self-driving investigation holds true, it can be inferred that the DOJ has reached this stage in its process. A grand jury, which is made up of 16 to 23 impartial citizens, is only required for potential federal felonies, and the decision to charge Tesla or its executives would need at least 12 votes from the jury.
In the event that the grand jury determines there isn’t enough evidence to charge Tesla or its executives, “all proceedings and statements made before a grand jury are sealed, meaning that only the people in the room have knowledge about who said what about whom.”
Information for this story was found via Twitter, Plainsite, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
