On July 5, 2013, Kushner Companies signed an agreement to purchase a five-building complex in Brooklyn, New York, formerly used by Jehovah's Witnesses, for $340 million. The building is 95% owned by CIM Group.[12][13]
In the 2010s, developers such as the Kushner Companies widely used the EB-5 visa to fuel a "high-end US residential boom".[14] In May 2017, President Donald Trump renewed the visa program in his first major piece of legislation.[15]
In 2016, Kushner Companies opened Trump Bay Street, a luxury 53-story apartment tower in Jersey City, New Jersey.[16]
The Kushners partnered with a company linked to Beny Steinmetz on the $250 million project, which was financed through a $30 million cash investment by the Kushners and $190 million in loans, including a $140 million construction loan from CIT Group and $50 million of investments from Chinese nationals purchasing EB-5 visas.[16] By June 2017, the building had reached half occupancy and was valued at up to $360 million, leading the Kushners to seek $250 million in refinancing.[16] Jared Kushner retained his interest in the building after becoming senior advisor to President Trump, his father-in-law.[16]
In 2017, Nicole Kushner Meyer joined her brother Josh in Kushner Companies, serving as a principal.[17] Meyer was criticized for mentioning her brother's White House position during investor presentations she gave in China when soliciting $150 million for 1 Journal Square, causing her to cancel the rest of her roadshow appearances.[18]
According to Bloomberg, the company is facing an increasingly "distressed situation". Over the last few years, family members have sought substantial overseas investment to deal with "troubled finances".[19]
September 2017; U.S. Attorney Subpoenas Kushner Cos. Over Investment-For-Visa Program.[20]
In 2017, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York subpoenaed Deutsche Bank records pertaining to Kushner Companies.[21]