By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON (Reuters) – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office said on Thursday it is investigating Herbalife, joining other state and federal probes of allegations that the weight loss and nutrition company is running a pyramid scheme. Madigan’s office was urged to look into the company months ago by civil rights groups, which claimed it was a pyramid scheme targeting minorities. Hedge fund manager William Ackman was the first to call Herbalife a fraud and placed a $1 billion bet against the company in 2012. The company denies the allegations, and high-profile investors such as Carl Icahn, George Soros and Dan Loeb have supported the company in the past by taking stakes.