New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty to charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
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.”
If convicted on both counts, James faces up to 60 years in prison and a $2 million fine.
Following her arraignment in Norfolk, Virginia, James said in a statement that the messages she has received from her supporters have “strengthened my spirit. And it has anchored my soul. And so, I want to thank you.”
She declared that the case “is not about me. This is about all of us, and about a justice system which has been weaponized. A justice system which has been used as a tool of revenge. This justice system which has been used as a tool of revenge – and a weapon against those individuals who simply did their job and stood up for the rule of law. And a justice system which unfortunately is being used as a vehicle of retribution.
“And I am here to say that my work and my job and all that I do – all throughout my public career – I have stood up for the rights of New Yorkers and Americans. And I will not be deterred,” she added. “I will not be deterred. I will not be distracted. I will do my job each and every day. And that is why I am headed back to New York, because there is work to be done standing up for the rule of law.”
James previously called the mortgage fraud claims “baseless.”
