THE TIGHTENING NOOSE:

The New York attorney general's office is now pursuing a criminal probe into former President Donald Trump's business empire, expanding the scope of what started as a civil investigation. 

"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature," Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for the attorney general's office, said in a statement.

Attorney General Letitia James has been examining whether the Trump Organization deliberately reported incorrect valuations of assets to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits.

"We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan [district attorney]," Levy said.

For more than two years, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has been conducting a separate investigation into Trump's business dealings before he became president. 

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