Reid Hoffman could not “press criminal charges” against Trump. Private people—including Carroll and anyone funding her legal fees—cannot bring criminal prosecutions; that decision belongs to government prosecutors.
Carroll instead brought civil lawsuits, seeking damages for sexual abuse/battery and defamation. Hoffman’s connection was financial support through a nonprofit, not control over the case. The alleged assault was from the mid-1990s, and the criminal statute-of-limitations window had long expired; New York’s Adult Survivors Act temporarily reopened a path for a civil suit, not criminal prosecution. A jury found Trump civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation in 2023.
