U.S. Attorney probes GM conduct in ignition switch recall

U.S. Attorney probes GM conduct in ignition switch recall

The U.S. Attorney’s office in New York has opened a criminal investigation into General Motors to determine if there was any criminal wrongdoing on the part of GM stemming from the automaker’s faulty ignition switch recall last month

The Justice Department is reportedly looking to whether General Motors broke any laws in the recall stemming from an ignition switch, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News.

The FBI has joined federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York in the probe.

General Motors announced Wednesday that it is offering free loaner cars and $500 toward a new GM vehicle to more than a million owners of the compact cars that are being recalled. At least 13 people have died in accidents linked to the ignition-switch defect. CBS News’ reporting showed GM was aware of the problem years before the recall. On Tuesday, a congressional committee opened an investigation.