The federal grand jury has refused to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James on mortgage fraud charges after the Department of Justice refiled the case against her.
James had been accused of making false statements on mortgage documents in order to obtain favorable financial terms, specifically by claiming a home purchased in 2020 as a second residence rather than an investment property—a distinction that would have saved her approximately $19,000 in interest payments. She has denied all wrongdoing.
The initial charges were dismissed from a different grand jury on the basis that the administration unlawfully appointed the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Abbe Lowell, James’s legal representative, stated: “This unprecedented rejection makes even clearer that this case should never have seen the light of day.” He added: “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. 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.”
Additionally, James previously successfully convicted the president of lying about the values of his real estate holdings to secure favorable bank terms, though a New York state appeals court later struck down the civil fraud judgment that ordered him to pay nearly half a billion dollars.
James’s office has indicated its intent to appeal the case.
