New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the most prominent Democratic officials in the nation, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Virginia on charges of bank fraud and making false claims to a financial institution, according to the Department of Justice.
Prosecutors allege James “represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as [James] then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property.” The scheme allegedly saved her “approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.”
U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan said in a statement, “No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust.”
If convicted on both counts, James faces up to 60 years in prison and a $2 million fine.
James pushed back strongly, claiming political persecution. “This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” she said. “These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost.”
The indictment follows her high-profile civil case against the Trump Organization, which was recently overturned on appeal. The case now raises questions about accountability and double standards in the justice system — even for those who once claimed to enforce it.
