Letitia James Indicted by Federal Grand Jury in Virginia

ALBANY, NY – MAY 21: State Lawyer Basic Letitia James throughout a press convention on Wednesday, Might 21, 2025, on the Capitol in Albany, NY.
Photograph: Jim Franco/Albany Instances Union/Getty Pictures

A federal grand jury in Virginia has indicted New York State lawyer common Letitia James in reference to allegations of mortgage fraud, the most recent occasion of the Justice Division pursuing the prosecution of President Donald Trump’s political enemies. James was indicted on two counts: financial institution fraud and making false statements to a monetary establishment.

The indictment comes on the path of Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. Lawyer for the Japanese District of Virginia, who was appointed after her predecessor, Erik Siebert, resigned underneath stress for declining to pursue prices towards James and former FBI director James Comey. Comey was indicted late final month on allegations of creating false statements to Congress, prices he denies.

James addressed the fees in a video assertion shared to social media, denouncing the indictment as a “continuation of the president’s determined weaponization of our justice system.”

“I’m a proud lady of religion, and I do know that religion and concern can’t share the identical area. And so at this time I’m not fearful, I’m fearless, and as my religion teaches me, no weapon shaped towards me shall prosper. We’ll struggle these baseless prices aggressively, and my workplace will proceed to fiercely defend New Yorkers and their rights. And I’ll proceed to do my job,” she mentioned.

In April, Federal Housing Finance Company director Invoice Pulte made a prison referral towards James to the Justice Division, accusing the lawyer common of committing mortgage fraud in reference to a Virginia house, citing media stories. Within the referral, Pulte alleges that James bought a house in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2023 and listed it as her major residence regardless of her position as a New York authorities official.

“Ms. James, for each properties listed above, seems to have falsified information in an effort to meet sure lending necessities and obtain favorable mortgage phrases,” Pulte wrote in a letter to U.S. lawyer common Pam Bondi and deputy lawyer common Todd Blanche.

James’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, rejected the allegations in a letter to the Justice Division, saying his shopper had assisted her niece with the acquisition of the Virginia house. Lowell mentioned Pulte “cherry-picked” a type that “mistakenly said the property to be Ms. James’ principal residence” whereas ignoring a press release James despatched to the mortgage dealer weeks earlier that said she wouldn’t be residing on the property. “If Ms. James’ declaration in her mortgage software from the time of the acquisition was not sufficient, I hope this letter (and its reveals) put this stale declare to relaxation,” Lowell wrote.

Trump has lengthy railed towards James, who led a profitable civil fraud case towards him and the Trump Group final yr, denouncing her as “corrupt.” Final month, the president issued a public path to Bondi on Fact Social to hunt prices towards James and Comey. “Pam: I’ve reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, primarily, ‘standard story as final time, all discuss, no motion. Nothing is being achieved. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all responsible as hell, however nothing goes to be achieved,” he wrote. “We are able to’t delay any longer, it’s killing our repute and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 instances!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”