New York Attorney General Letitia James has been criminally indicted on federal bank fraud charges by a grand jury, according to court documents filed in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Letitia James, who led the 2023 civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump, is accused of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a mortgage loan for a property in Norfolk, Virginia.
In a statement, James strongly denied the allegations, accusing the president who has recently urged prosecutors to bring charges against her of using the justice system for political gain.
“He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as New York’s attorney general,” Letitia James said. “These charges are baseless, and his public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost.”
Federal prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, who is overseeing the case, said the indictment demonstrates that “no one is above the law.”
“The charges alleged in this case represent intentional criminal acts and a profound breach of public trust,” Halligan stated. “The facts and the law are clear, and we will continue to pursue justice accordingly.”
Trump Appointed Prosecutor Indicts Letitia James on Mortgage Fraud Charges
Former President Donald Trump appointed Lindsey Halligan, his onetime personal attorney, to lead the federal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James, following the resignation of U.S. prosecutor Erik Siebert.
According to reports, Siebert was removed after telling the Justice Department he had not found sufficient evidence to indict Letitia James.
Letitia James is set to make her first court appearance on 24 October in Norfolk, Virginia.
Federal prosecutors allege that James fraudulently obtained a mortgage for a three-bedroom home in Norfolk by misrepresenting it as a secondary residence, when in fact it was allegedly used as a rental investment property occupied by a family of three.
The indictment claims that this “misrepresentation” enabled James to secure favorable loan terms that would not have been available for an investment property.
If convicted, Halligan said, James could face up to 30 years in prison per count and fines of up to $1 million (£751,755) per charge.
James’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, condemned the indictment as politically motivated, saying:
“We are deeply concerned that this case is driven by President Trump’s desire for revenge.”
The indictment follows a series of public calls by Trump for prosecutions of his political opponents. In a recent social media post, Trump urged U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who leads the Justice Department, to “prosecute” figures including James, writing, “We can’t delay any longer it’s killing our reputation and credibility.”
James was among several Trump adversaries named in that post. Former FBI Director James Comey was also mentioned and was charged shortly afterward with making false statements to Congress, to which he pleaded not guilty this week. The Justice Department has reportedly also opened investigations into former national security adviser John Bolton and Sen. Adam Schiff of California.
James previously led the civil fraud case against Trump, in which he was found liable for falsifying financial records to obtain favorable loan terms. The case resulted in a $500 million (£375 million) fine, later overturned by an appeals court as “excessive,” though it upheld the finding of fraud.
Throughout that case, Trump repeatedly accused James of conducting a “political witch hunt.” In response, James said the courts had affirmed that “no one is above the law.”
On Thursday, James reaffirmed her stance, saying she “stands fully behind” her office’s litigation against Trump and his business empire.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, denounced the indictment as “a blatant weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable.”
Both the New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union echoed that criticism, calling the case “the latest in a long series of brazen abuses of power by President Trump.”
