Carl Icahn's company stock falls as much as 20% after prosecutors seek financial information

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Icahn Enterprises, Carl Icahn's conglomerate, saw its stock drop again Wednesday after a disclosure showed regulators are seeking information regarding its corporate governance.

The shares fell as much as 20% in morning trading, following a near 25% loss last week. A regulatory filing revealed the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York contacted Icahn Enterprises last Wednesday seeking information about corporate governance, capitalization, securities offerings, dividends, valuation, marketing materials, due diligence and other materials.

Regulators sought information a day after notable short seller Hindenburg Research took a short position against Icahn's company. Hindenburg alleged «inflated» asset valuations last Tuesday, among other reasons, for what it says is an unusually high net asset value premium in shares of the publicly traded holding company.

«The U.S. Attorney's office has not made any claims or allegations against us or Mr. Icahn with respect to the foregoing inquiry,» Icahn said in the 10-Q filing.

In a separate statement, Icahn called Hindenburg's report «misleading and self-serving,» saying the Nathan Anderson-led firm used tactics of «wantonly destroying property and harming innocent civilians.»

«Mr. Anderson's modus operandi is to launch disinformation campaigns to distort companies' images, damage their reputations and bleed the hard-earned savings of individual investors,» Icahn said. «But, unlike many of its victims, we will not stand by idly. We intend to take all appropriate steps to protect our unitholders and fight back.»

Icahn, the most well known corporate raider in history, made his name after pulling off a hostile takeover of Trans World Airlines in