Letitia James Indicted on Fraud Charges
A federal grand jury has indicted Letitia James on Thursday, facing charges of bank fraud along with making false statements to a financial institution.
The indictment outlines two counts against her. Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsay Harrigan, obtained the indictment.
In a video response, James stated, “This is nothing but a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of the justice system.” She continued, expressing that this was an attempt to manipulate federal law enforcement to execute his orders and asserting that the charges are unfounded.
President Donald Trump appointed Harrigan last September after Eric Siebert resigned, reportedly following Trump’s urging to pursue charges.
This is nothing but a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.
I’m not afraid—I’m fearless.
We will aggressively fight these baseless accusations, and my office will continue to fiercely defend New Yorkers and their rights.
Former FBI Director James Comey was recently indicted in the same district and has pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements to Congress.
The case against James has been assigned to Judge Jamar Walker, who was appointed by Biden.
The charges are tied to a $109,600 loan James secured on August 17, 2020, for a three-bedroom home in Norfolk, Virginia. The loan stipulated that she had to use the property as a second residence and refrained from renting it out or sharing ownership. However, the indictment claims James did not occupy the property herself and instead used it as a rental, generating income from multiple families.
This misrepresentation, as stated in the indictment, enabled her to secure favorable loan terms that she wouldn’t have received otherwise, resulting in approximately $18,933 in unjust enrichment during the loan’s duration.
Earlier this year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency referred James to the Department of Justice on allegations of falsifying mortgage records. The agency’s Secretary accused her of manipulating her mortgage application to secure a better rate by falsely listing the home as her primary residence, despite her role as the state attorney general requiring her primary residence to be in New York.
Previously, James filed a lawsuit alleging that Trump inflated his net worth to secure more advantageous loan terms. In August, a New York appeals court canceled a hefty fines against Trump, labeling it as excessive.
As of now, James’ office and the Department of Justice have not commented on the situation.
This story is developing and will be updated as new information becomes available.
