Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have opened a criminal inquiry into transactions arranged by the producer Harvey Weinstein involving $600,000 raised at an AIDS charity auction, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

The office of the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York is examining whether fraud occurred when the money went to a theater that had staged a musical produced by Mr. Weinstein, said the three people, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The fashion designer Kenneth Cole, chairman of the board at the New York-based AIDS charity, amfAR, said the organization received a subpoena last month.

In September, The New York Times revealed details of the transactions and a civil investigation by the New York State attorney general’s office. Two weeks later, The Times reported sexual harassment and misconduct allegations against Mr. Weinstein, who is now the subject of multiple assault investigations in London, Los Angeles and New York City.

Mr. Weinstein’s spokeswoman, Sallie Hofmeister, did not comment on the inquiry, but released a statement on Thursday saying that “over the course of the last 23 years, Mr. Weinstein has helped raise between $30 million and $40 million for amfAR,” adding that he “has personally pledged $1 million to the organization.”