A federal grand jury refused to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James on mortgage fraud charges following a refiled case by the Department of Justice, according to court documents.
James had been accused of making false statements on mortgage documents to secure favorable financial terms. The initial charges were dismissed from a different grand jury after prosecutors alleged that the administration unlawfully appointed the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Prosecutors claimed James misrepresented a home purchased in 2020 as a second home rather than an investment property, which would have saved her approximately $19,000 in interest payments. James has denied all wrongdoing.
“Career prosecutors who knew better refused to bring it, and now two different grand juries in two different cities have refused to allow these baseless charges to be brought,” said Abbe Lowell, an attorney representing James. “Any further attempt to revive these discredited charges would be a mockery of our system of justice.”
President Donald Trump has called for James to resign over the allegations, writing on social media: “Letitia James, a totally corrupt politician, should resign from her position as New York State Attorney General, IMMEDIATELY. Everyone is trying to MAKE NEW YORK GREAT AGAIN, and it can never be done with this wacky crook in office.”
James previously successfully convicted President Donald Trump of lying about the values of his real estate holdings to secure favorable bank terms. Trump was ordered to pay nearly half a billion dollars in a civil fraud judgment, but the fine was struck down by a New York state appeals court in August.
The attorney general’s office stated it intends to appeal the case.
