NEW: Special Counsel Inspects Letitia James’ House As Grand Jury Weighs Charges

Ed Martin, who was recently appointed as special counsel to investigate potential criminal activities of New York Attorney General Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), dropped by James’ multi-family Brooklyn residential property as part of the investigation into alleged mortgage fraud.

Martin visited the Clinton Hill brownstone a week after he was appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to head up mortgage fraud investigations into Schiff and James. Grand juries in Virginia and Maryland are currently weighing criminal indictments against both Democrats respectively over allegations that they fraudulently valued their properties in order to gain more favorable loan terms,

James’ Brooklyn property at 296 Lafayette Avenue is listed as a five-unit dwelling, but James has been accused of misrepresenting the building on mortgage applications, building permits, and filings for government assistance. On all such documents, she listed the property as having only four units.

The alleged misrepresentation allowed her to apply for loans with lower down payments and lower interest rates through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are only offered for residential properties with four or fewer units.

Footage obtained by the New York Post shows Martin, dressed in a beige trench coat, inspecting the Brooklyn property on Friday afternoon. According to the report, several weathered but visible labels reading “1 Floor,” “2 Floor,” “3A,” and “3B” were visible from the outside.

At one point, a neighbor confronted Martin and asked what he was doing. “Tell me why you’re here,” an unidentified blonde woman demanded. “We know who lives here . . . You’re not here about the houses. You’re here because of who lives here. It’s my neighborhood. It’s my block. I have a right to know what you guys are doing.”

Martin replied: “I’m just happy to be on a block looking at houses . . . I’m just looking at houses, interesting houses. It’s an important house.”

“It’s not,” the neighbor responded. “It’s just like every other tract house on this block that was built by developers.”

“They’re beautiful, beautiful neighborhood,” Martin told the woman before walking away.

🚨JUST IN🚨

Special Prosecutor Ed Martin went to Tish James’ multi-family residential property today, which is under investigation for federal mortgage fraud.

CREDIT: @mirandadevine pic.twitter.com/cavzSG4YiB

— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) August 15, 2025

The investigation into Letitia 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.

Martin is also heading up the investigation into Senator Schiff, who is accused of listing a Maryland property he owns as his primary residence while refinancing a loan. Both Schiff and James have denied any wrongdoing.

“Bill Pulte and his FHFA team got this started with his criminal referral,” Martin said last week. “And as Tish James and Adam Schiff always say: ‘Nobody is above the law.’ ”