Politics
BREAKING: Letitia James Indicted By Grand Jury
New York Attorney General Letitia James had been indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia over mortgage fraud allegations, NBC News reported Thursday.
Lindsey Halligan, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, presented evidence to a grand jury on Thursday after a months-long investigation. The grand jury returned an indictment on at least one count of bank fraud, NBC News reported.
The investigation into James’ real estate properties has been ongoing since April, when Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department.
Pulte alleged James may have “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms” by listing a Norfolk, Virginia property as her primary residence despite serving as attorney general of New York. The Brooklyn property was listed as her second residence.
“Ms. James was the sitting Attorney General of New York and is required by law to have her primary residence in the state of New York — even though her mortgage applications list her intent to have the Norfolk, VA, property as her primary home,” Pulte wrote in the criminal referral.
“It appears Ms. James’ property and mortgage-related misrepresentations may have continued to her recent 2023 Norfolk, VA property purchase in order to secure a lower interest rate and more favorable loan terms.”
The letter further alleged that James has “consistently misrepresented” the New York property, which was purchased in 2001, “as only having four units in both building permit applications and numerous mortgage documents and applications.” James is further accused of listing her father as her spouse on mortgage papers in order to meet lending rules.
James’ high-powered legal team has denied any wrongdoing, instead blaming the residency issue on an uncorrected clerical error in a template document prepared by a third-party closing company.
James — who campaigned on prosecuting Trump by any means necessary — previously secured a highly controversial civil fraud judgement against Trump and his business organization in 2022.
A jury ruled in the highly controversial verdict that the president’s Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida was only worth between 18 and 35-million-dollars. Trump and his organization is currently appealing the verdict, while real estate experts have admitted the property is worth well north of $400 million.
The penalty was tossed by a New York appeals court back in August, which ruled that the penalty was both excessive and unconstitutional.
James has not responded to the indictment as of this report.
