Department of Homeland Security investigators have found evidence that former Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski may have been involved in improperly awarding government contracts while serving as a senior aide at the agency, according to people familiar with the investigation, reports the Wall Street Journal. 

The findings have prompted investigators to consider whether to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department, although such a referral is not considered imminent and the inquiry remains ongoing.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and White House officials have been briefed on the investigation.

Lewandowski, who served as an unpaid special government employee under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, denied any wrongdoing and said he has not been contacted by investigators.

He has maintained that he lacked authority to award government contracts.

As a special government employee, Lewandowski held a temporary advisory role that allows private-sector employees to work in government while remaining outside the traditional federal workforce.

Despite that status, current and former department officials said he assumed responsibilities that extended well beyond those typically associated with the position.

Officials familiar with the investigation said Lewandowski directed personnel decisions and played a significant role in contracting matters during Noem's tenure, reports the Journal.

Inside the department, some employees referred to him as the "shadow secretary" because of the influence he wielded over agency operations.

The inspector general's office is examining numerous contracts awarded while Noem led the department, including a $38 billion initiative under which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased vacant warehouses to convert into migrant detention facilities. According to real estate analyses reviewed by investigators, the government paid above-market prices for several of the properties.

DHS has since decided to sell seven of the warehouses.

Investigators also have scrutinized contracting involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Shortly after Noem and Lewandowski left DHS, investigators searched the office of FEMA contractor Kara Voorhies, seizing records and a computer as part of the broader review of contracting practices.

During Noem's tenure, the secretary required her office to approve department spending exceeding $100,000, a policy that centralized authority over contracting decisions. Mullin has since rescinded that requirement.

The investigation remains active, and investigators have not decided whether to seek criminal charges.