Uber Under Criminal Investigation, Justice Dept. Confirms in Letter to Court

SAN FRANCISCO — Federal investigators are pursuing at least one criminal investigation into Uber, according to a court document released on Wednesday.

The document, which was submitted by the United States attorney’s office in the northern district of California, does not specify what the agency is investigating, but it is the first public confirmation by the Department of Justice of a federal inquiry into the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company. In the past, The New York Times and others have reported the existence of federal inquiries into Uber over various issues, but authorities have not said anything publicly about them.

The disclosure came as a result of a stolen trade secrets case between Uber and Waymo, the self-driving vehicle unit that operates under Google’s parent company. Waymo had alleged that Anthony Levandowski, a former employee, stole trade secrets about driverless cars from Google before leaving and subsequently used what he learned at Uber. Uber has denied Waymo’s allegations. The case is scheduled to go to trial next month.

As part of the case, the Department of Justice submitted to the judge, William Alsup, the letter that was made public on Wednesday. In the letter, dated Nov. 22, the department informed the judge that there was additional evidence that Uber had not turned over in the case, referring to claims from Richard Jacobs, a former Uber employee, that Uber had been secretly gathering intelligence on competitors.