The Justice Department probe began weeks ago and is essentially on a parallel track with the SEC investigation, the sources said. While prosecutors and investigators are focusing on some of the same mortgage-related transactions as the SEC, the sources said, the Justice Department has cast a wider net.  Investors pounded Goldman Sachs shares on Friday as it became increasingly clear that the Wall Street bank's problems are growing. After initial news media reports about the criminal investigation, investors sent Goldman shares down 9.4 percent, or $15.04, to $145.20.  It was another brutal day for a firm that survived the worst of the financial wreckage of the past two years. Since the SEC filed its suit April 16, Goldman's shares have lost 20 percent of their value, costing investors $20.6 billion in market value.  Goldman's stock price remains far higher than it was during the depths of the financial crisis in fall 2008. The firm's shares have essentially doubled in price since then as the company quickly returned to the black, seeing fewer losses on subprime mortgages than competitors and making significant trading profits with the help of government support.  But analysts said the criminal probe and the civil case are just two of several developments that could threaten Goldman's reputation and bottom line in coming months. The firm also was the subject of a searing Senate investigative report this week examining Goldman's role in the financial crisis. Goldman's bottom line could also suffer if the Senate, now debating reforms to financial regulation, adopts proposed changes to limit trading in derivatives and certain investment activities at banks, for instance owning hedge funds.  Working alongside advocates for other big banks and industry trade groups that share similar concerns, Goldman's well-heeled roster of lobbyists have been meeting with the staff of key committee members, such as the financial services and agriculture committees in both the House and Senate.  Banking analysts at Standard & Poor's and Bank of America-Merrill Lynch downgraded Goldman's stock on Friday.  "Though traditionally difficult to prove, we think the risk of a formal securities fraud charge, on top of the SEC fraud charge and pending legislation to reshape the financial industry, further muddies Goldman's outlook," Matthew Albrecht, an analyst at Standard & Poor's, wrote Friday.  The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan and the FBI are conducting the criminal probe, which sources said has been underway for weeks. Sources said a decision on whether to file any charges has not been made.  The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan declined to comment. Goldman said it would cooperate with requests for information.  The SEC filed a civil securities fraud case against the firm two weeks ago, and a source familiar with the matter said the SEC had referred that investigation to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution.
The Justice Department's criminal investigation into Goldman Sachs goes beyond the financial transactions targeted by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the civil fraud suit brought against the firm last month, law enforcement sources said Friday.