Kushner Cos. subpoenaed over rent-control paperwork

The real-estate company run by the family of White House adviser Jared Kushner has confirmed that it received a federal grand-jury subpoena in March related to paperwork filed in New York City concerning its rent-regulated tenants, according to a report by Dow Jones Newswires.

The subpoena follows an Associated Press article about the company having filed documents that said it had zero rent-regulated tenants, when in fact it had hundreds, an omission that relieved them of certain rules governing developers.

A spokeswoman for the company said Thursday that "Kushner Companies has nothing to hide and is cooperating fully with all legitimate requests for information, including this subpoena." She added: "We believe that this subpoena, which has already been complied with, was issued based solely on an article that appeared in the press the day before it was issued."

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, John Marzulli, said: "I can't confirm or deny the existence of any subpoena or investigation."

The company has said that the paperwork was prepared by a third party. The subpoena seeks information on the identities of the third parties hired by the company to file documents with the New York City Department of Buildings and the city Department of Finance, according to the paper.

The Associated Press reported that the paperwork was prepared while Kushner was CEO, but did not have his signature.

The company is also facing scrutiny on the same subject from the New York attorney general's office, which has launched an inquiry into the matter, according to a spokesman for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The New York City Council has also opened an investigation into the filings.