New York Attorney General Letitia James Indicted on Bank Fraud Charge

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday on a federal bank fraud charge tied to a mortgage case. The indictment stems from an investigation pushed aggressively by the Trump administration, marking the latest move by the Justice Department to pursue one of the president’s high-profile political opponents.

James, who previously filed a sweeping civil fraud lawsuit against him and his company while he campaigned for office, of which the monetary award was thrown out, now faces a single count of bank fraud. The charge followed a presentation to a Virginia grand jury by Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump lawyer who was recently appointed as a federal prosecutor.

James' office declined to issue a statement Thursday. Her attorneys have consistently rejected the allegations, describing the case as an attempt at “political revenge.”

The case against James comes just two weeks after the Justice Department filed criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey, accusing him of lying to Congress.

The James indictment remains sealed.

Trump has long pressed for action against James, repeatedly making accusations on social media. He wrote that she was “guilty as hell” and later told reporters, “It looks to me like she’s really guilty of something, but I really don’t know.”

James’ defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, called the case unfounded and argued it was part of a “bogus criminal case” built to serve Trump’s vendetta. James herself has previously admitted to mistakenly filling out a form connected to the 2023 purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia, but maintained she never lied or intentionally misled the lender.

The controversy stems from a two-page power-of-attorney document James signed in August 2023, declaring, “I intend to occupy this property as my principal residence.” Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte flagged the filing earlier this year, suggesting she may have used the designation to secure a lower interest rate.

Lowell countered that James corrected the error quickly and that no fraud was ever committed. “She never misled anyone,” he emphasized.

James has made it a priority to litigate against Trump in every way she can. As attorney general, she filed numerous lawsuits against him and his administration and secured a major judgment in a civil fraud case that concluded Trump had exaggerated the value of his real estate holdings. An appeals court later threw out the $500 million penalty tied to that lawsuit.

The Justice Department has also signaled interest in related mortgage allegations involving Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook and Representative Adam Schiff of California, though Schiff’s legal team dismissed the accusations as “transparently false, stale, and long debunked.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James Indicted on Bank Fraud Charge