AG responds to report of potential criminal prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud
FILE - New York Attorney General Letitia James attends a campaign rally with community leaders in the Jackson Heights neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. James, one of former President Donald Trump’s chief legal nemeses, is hoping to win a second term Tuesday, Nov. 8, in a race that pits her against a lesser-known Republican lawyer. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File)
Attorney General Letitia James is responding to reports that the Trump administration has referred her for potential prosecution over alleged mortgage fraud.
The New York Post reported that the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, making accusations that James had “falsified records” to obtain loans for a property in Norfolk, Virginia. James, who has been attorney general since 2019, had claimed that the property was her “principal residence” in 2023.
The allegations are that she was able to obtain a lower mortgage rate by that claim. She also allegedly misstated the number of units in her Brooklyn residence as four instead of five, the paper reported based on information in the letter.
James brought a case against President Donald Trump on the grounds that he misstated the value of his properties to obtain more favorable terms on loans from banks. He was required to pay a $454 million judgment.
A spokesperson for her office provided a statement in response to the allegations.
“Attorney General James is focused every single day on protecting New Yorkers, especially as this Administration weaponizes the federal government against the rule of law and the Constitution. She will not be intimidated by bullies – no matter who they are.”