The FBI announced that it has launched a criminal investigation into the Department of Veterans Affairs weeks after it was reported that long treatment delays at VA hospitals allegedly led to the death of 40 vets.

On Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey revealed that the investigation was being spearheaded by the FBI's field office in Phoenix, which he called the "primary locus of the original allegations" being investigated by the VA's Office of Inspector General, reports the Associated Press.

Comey also assured the House Judiciary Committee that "we're working with the VA IG to follow it wherever the facts take us."

The infamous VA scandal came to light after it was discovered that veterans were put on long waiting lists in order to get care, and that hospital workers falsified paperwork to make delays appear shorter in order to received bonuses.

Officials also said the inspector general is sharing findings with federal prosecutors, and the Justice Department could launch a full-blown criminal probe.

"At the department's direction, the FBI has instructed agents in its Phoenix office to conduct an investigation into the allegations related to the VA. Federal prosecutors will be working with these investigators to determine whether there is a basis for criminal charges," said a Justice Department spokesman, reports CNN.

On Monday, a new internal Veterans Affairs audit found that tens of thousands of newly returning veterans wait at least 90 days for medical care. Plus, even more veterans who signed up in the VA system over the last decade never got an immediate appointment as they requested.

As a result, the VA has acknowledged 23 deaths nationwide due to delayed care, so far.

Reasons for the backlogs for benefits and number of homeless veterans include the increasing number of veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with a bonus system that offered managers incentives for meeting goals regarding access to treatment.