The Trump administration has taken goal at New York Lawyer Common Letitia James with a federal referral for potential legal prosecution over allegations of mortgage fraud.
In a letter to U.S. Lawyer Common Pam Bondi, William Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Company, wrote that James “has, in a number of situations, falsified financial institution paperwork and property data to amass government-backed help and loans and extra favorable mortgage phrases.”
Pulte alleged that in 2023, James declared a property she owns in Virginia her “principal residence,” regardless of residing in New York and serving because the state AG.
“It seems Ms James’ property and mortgage-related misrepresentations could have continued to her latest 2023 Norfolk, VA property buy as a way to safe a decrease rate of interest and extra favorable mortgage phrases,” Pulte wrote.
Pulte additionally claimed that James bought a five-unit property in Brooklyn in 2001 with a mortgage designated for houses with solely 4 models or fewer.
”Spanning the final 20 years, Ms. James has constantly misrepresented the identical property as solely having 4 models in each constructing allow purposes and quite a few mortgage paperwork and purposes,” Pulte wrote. “It seems that Ms. James could have listed the Brooklyn, NY property as 4 models as an alternative of 5 models as a way to meet the conforming mortgage necessities, and thus obtain higher rates of interest.”
The referral additionally accuses James of buying one other property together with her father because the co-signer, however falsely itemizing them as a married couple on paperwork courting again to 1983 and 2000.
Pulte acknowledged that James might be charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, financial institution fraud, and making false statements to a monetary establishment.
When information broke in regards to the legal referral, President Donald Trump posted on TruthSocial, “Letitia James, a completely corrupt politician, ought to resign from her place as New York State Lawyer Common, IMMEDIATELY. Everyone seems to be making an attempt to MAKE NEW YORK GREAT AGAIN, and it could actually by no means be completed with this wacky criminal in workplace.”
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for James’ workplace advised media retailers, “Lawyer Common James is targeted each single day on defending New Yorkers, particularly as this Administration weaponizes the federal authorities in opposition to the rule of legislation and the Structure. She won’t be intimidated by bullies — irrespective of who they’re,” a spokesperson for the New York lawyer common’s workplace stated.
Trump repeatedly castigated James when she filed a lawsuit accusing him and his household of inflating the web price of a number of Trump Group property. A decide discovered him liable and ordered him to pay $454 million.
The president was embroiled in a number of court docket fights in 2023 and 2024. He was discovered responsible final yr of obscuring a number of “hush cash” funds to grownup movie star Stormy Daniels. He additionally confronted three different legal indictments that accused him of mishandling categorized paperwork and interfering with the 2020 presidential election.
Trump stated James’ lawsuit and the indictments had been all a part of a politically motivated, corrupt “witch hunt” to thwart his 2024 presidential marketing campaign efforts.
When he was operating for a second time period in workplace, he vowed to retaliate in opposition to his political adversaries with threats of legal prosecution that he as soon as confronted.
