Report: FBI Opens Case Against Letitia James for Alleged Mortgage Fraud
President Donald Trump’s administration referred James to the DOJ in mid-April.
The Times Union reported that the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albany opened a case against New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged mortgage fraud.
James is a New York elected official who is located in Albany, but the alleged fraud occurred in New York City.
The Times Union pointed out that some of the alleged fraud “also may fall outside the federal statute of limitations, although one of the mortgages involves James’ assertions in loan documents related to her 2023 purchase of a residence in Virginia.”
President Donald Trump’s administration referred James to the DOJ in mid-April.
“Based on media reports, Ms. Letitia James has, in multiple instances falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms,” wrote Bill Pulte, director of Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Pulte added: “This has potentially included 1) falsifying residence status for a Norfolk, Virginia-based home in order to secure a lower mortgage rate and 2) misrepresenting property descriptions to meet stringent requirements for government backed loans and government assistance.”
James’s office hired Abbe Lowell (the same person who represented Hunter Biden), who accused Trump of weaponizing the DOJ “by targeting James as part of a campaign of ‘political retribution’ for the investigations her office has conducted into his business dealings.”
However, the Times Union pointed out that documents about James’s transactions “have been circulated since last year to various news outlets and elected officials by a man using a fictitious name.”
The man said he belonged to a group that started examining James’s records “after a friend had committed suicide while under investigation by the attorney general’s office for mortgage fraud.”
The man used a phone number “listed as a contact number in a legal notice two years ago for a Long Island man who is being actively prosecuted by the state attorney general’s office for fraud.”
In mid-August 2023, James allegedly gave someone power of attorney to establish the Virginia property as her “principal residence.”
At the end of the month, James purchased the property through her attorney.
“In a Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Form 3047 and in mortgage documents, she reaffirmed this would be her primary residence, despite being a statewide public office holder in the state of New York at that same time and primarily residing in New York,” explained Pulte.
Pulte reminded Bondi that “[P]rimary residence mortgages receive more favorable loan terms, including lower interest rates, than secondary residence mortgages” since those are considered “significantly riskier.”
Pulte references an article White Collar Fraud published about the Virginia residence.
The second property in the letter is a five-family dwelling in Brooklyn, NY.
Pulte accused James of consistently misrepresenting the property as a four-family unit. Why is that? James received “a conforming loan through the Freddie Mae/Freddie Mac Form 3033,” which is only available for buildings with four or fewer units.
“Conforming loans, or Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed mortgages, have favorable rates and terms to traditional private market mortgages for the explicit purpose of availability to lower and middle-income borrowers,” stated Pulte.
According to Pulte, any building with more than four units is considered a multifamily property, requiring “a larger down payment and high interest rate terms.”
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Comments
Well, just seems like everything Democrats accuse they’re already guilty of
They’re experts in the field.
“The Times Union pointed out that some of the alleged fraud “also may fall outside the federal statute of limitations…
Perhaps the Feds could follow the example of the State Of New York and open a special window for the prosecution of certain crimes where the statute of limitations would otherwise prevent prosecution.
sauce for the goose
As far as I know, statutes of limitations on criminal prosecution can’t be retroactively lifted, since that would be ex post facto law. Limitation on civil suits is another matter entirely.
Didn’t stop Alvin Bragg. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Yes, it did stop Bragg. Bragg never prosecuted a crime that was past the statute. He simply couldn’t. It would be thrown out of court as soon as it got there.
Why do you do this milhouse? Torture logic to try to excuse democrats.
4rdm2: Unlike our leftist enemies, Milhouse is trying to be fair, even handed, and honest. I appreciate that when he’s correct. I’m not sure he’s correct in this instance.
The prohibition on ex post facto law applies to the laws that make actions criminal, because it is unfair/unjust to punish someone criminally when he didn’t have notice at the time that his act was a crime (as defined by the state). Extending the statute of limitations does not affect the act – it was a crime at the time it was committed. Therefore prohibition likely does not apply.
This is why it didn’t stop Bragg.
It did stop Bragg. What are you talking about? No criminal action was brought past the statute.
The statute for felony falsification of business records (in other words, falsification of business records in pursuit of, or to cover up, some other crime) is ten years, and he was within that.
The fact that the charge was BS doesn’t change what it was.
You are wrong because that is what NY did in the E J Carrol case of rape against Trump.
Didn’t the NY legislature modify the relevant statute of limitation so that it would encompass Trump’s (perfectly legitimate) actions?
Mistaken about not stopping Bragg. I presumed Soloman was correct.
But my argument still stands. Changing the statute of limitation isn’t a an ex post facto law because if the charge crime was a statutorily defined crime at the time of its occurrence, then there is no violation of the prohibition. The point of the prohibition is to prevent people from being charged criminally for acts that weren’t crimes when they were committed. Doing so prevents the defendant from having had notice that his act was a crime, and he can’t go back and undo it when it has been declared a crime later. Changing the statute of limitations doesn’t change the nature of the act after its commission, it merely changes the time period within which the defendant can be tried for what was already a crime by statutory definition. In this situation, there is no ex post facto creation of a crime out of an act perpetrated in the past.
No. The statute of limitations do not have to be retroactive in this case or any case. The clock starts ticking not when the fraud occurred but when it was discovered. In this case I don’t think it would be when the allegations came to light but when the FBI took the case and began the investigation.
I think that’s true of some crimes, such as child abuse, but not crimes in general.
It can’t be for some crimes and not others,..if it’s ex post facto, then it applies to all crimes
It is for mortgage fraud which is what this is
Do you drink too much BudLight? It sure seems that way.
How about the “sexual assault” case that was retroactively extended by NY legislature?
That’s exactly what they did to Trump with the Adult Survivor’s Act
It would seem to me that any property currently owned by James for which she misrepresented herself or the property’s description should not be subject to to statute of limitations rules. That’s because they’re ongoing frauds.
The fraud, if any, was the original statement.
But it continues if she has not corrected the documents she signed. Moreover, it contiues if she is still getting a break on her mortgage or any benefits from listing the 5 apartment house as a 4 apartment house.
Another current crime would be any insurance breaks she’s getting for having misrepresented any properties.
I have to agree. Every time she makes a mortgage or insurance payment at a rate reduced because of the fraudulent paperwork is a separate crime, one of a set of serial offenses.
If you dug a hole into a bank vault and stole money from the vault every month, you’d be stealing with every taking, and not just at the time of the original trespass.
For Trump, every payoff installment logged was a separate felony. For Tish, every mortgage payment made should be a separate felony.
Jailhouse lawyer strikes again
Where is fuzzy to tell us how bright you really are
Shut up.
So? The statute of limitations on federal mortgage fraud starts when the crime is discovered not the original date it occurred.
It’s certainly possible. Financial fraud, by its nature, and (usually) by the intent of the perpetrator, is supposed to be concealed and not manifestly obvious. It’s not overt like a murder or bank robbery. Allowing the statute of limitations to run out on certain crimes would be to give the perpetrator a break for having successfully concealed his crime. This is hardly just to those who suffer from the crime, even if they hadn’t realized their loss earlier.
Wait a minute. Are they allowed to indict a Leftist official in office? I thought it was pretty settled precedent that they were immune from being charged for any crime that would cause a pleb to be charged.
Subotai Bahadur
It’s settled science, get with the program
Indict?
Rumor has it that they’ve erected a statue to her in Times Square.
(The statue is proven, the rumor is that it represents her.)
At last — a statue that conservatives can have fun pulling down.
I read that almost 75% of mortgage fraud convictions produce (modest) prison sentences, usually around 20-months. It will be interesting to see if she takes a plea to avoid prison because it seems like they have a slam-dunk case.
Slam-dunk is unfortunately irrelevant.
She’s counting on a far-left New York Democrat jury for jury nullification.
So far, it seems like they have no case at all. Have you read Lowell’s response to the original letter, a few weeks ago? It seems convincing, as far as the evidence originally alleged.
That’s not to say the FBI won’t find further evidence. That’s why investigations are a thing.
If they have her signature on documents with false statements, then they definitely have a case and it’s probably a slam dunk. Especially if we’re playing by the same rules as she went after Trump. Which means she won’t be able to say oh I had someone else do that. Nope, your ultimately responsible.
I’ve seen Lowell’s response discredited, if not completely debunked it. It seems that in fact Lowell is actually uninformed of specifics concerning the properties and the abundance of evidence against James.
For instance, in the multi-floor tenement property, James claimed that family occupied two units making up the top two floors. But there are three electric meters for those floors, which would seem to indicate that one of those floors has two units. (Family could have indeed occupied the entire floor, but family could have also occupied both units on one floor. (City regs and mortgage rules are concerned with the number of units, not with who occupies them.)
Also, James claimed that she occupied a floor herself for a period of time. Yet during that period of time the tenant on that floor made a complaint to the city concerning the landlord’s inattention to certain maintenance problems in the unit. Did James file a complaint against herself?
“So far, it seems like they have no case at all.”
That’s never stopped a NY DA.
Many people have pointed out the punishment is the whole process, not necessarily the prison sentence. She can make a deal, but she will have to go through the legal grinder. At least I am fervently hoping so.
Are taxpayers on the hook for her legal fees?
If any case against Tish is going to be tried before a NY judge and jury, then she may take her chances at trial. I suspect that she may have a get-out-of-jail-free card under those circumstances.
since the property in question is in VA, maybe,….just maybe,….!
What a great way to end a Thursday. If convicted, please show at sentencing the videos that reveal her arrogance and mendacious nature. A true poison in the public arena. NY sure knows how to pump at some of the worst. Guess that’s why people are running for the exits from the world this lovely lady played a full role in making. GO GET HER!
The FBI will slow-walk this “investigation” in the hope that a democrat is elected in 2028. If that doesn’t happen, then we’ll get the usual “mistakes were made, but it doesn’t rise to the level of criminality” nonsense.
The FBI is irredeemable.
on one of the documents she lister her father as her husband.
wonder if they consumated the union.
She did not list anyone as anything. The document was filed by her father, and for some reason he put her down as his wife rather than his daughter. Probably just a careless mistake, but it’s not material to anything, so it’s completely irrelevant.
Uh, no. I know the difference between my daughter and my wife and so does he.
.
Of course he knows the difference. And on the other documents in the same transaction he filled it out correctly. Therefore it stands to reason that this was a careless and harmless error, not fraud. You certainly couldn’t prove otherwise beyond reasonable doubt.
It’s one of those irregular verbs
I make a bad mistake
You are corrupt
He is a convicted criminal
Careless mistake?
Clearly your drunk
“for some reason”
Is that like “Some people did something”?
It’s completely material. A married couple would a better mortgage rate than either of them alone, as a more stable social unit with more earning power than a single person.
There was no better rate, because the documents clearly did state that she was his daughter.
That was not a careless mistake and she signed the documents herself. She committed the fraud by doing that as she is legally responsible for everything in the documents she signed. Law 101.
She did not sign the document saying she was his spouse. He did.
She gave him authority to do so on her behalf which is the same thing. She is legally responsible for the document which is why you are very careful who you give power of attorney
I’m sure it was a careless mistake. Just like your pink silk laced panties are a careless mistake.
what’s with all the excuses for Big Tish?
Seems pretty odd to me. There are fraudulent documents right there with her signature. Not much else to say. Why people here want to quibble and make excuses is a mystery.
I’m angry that the NY Dem legislature just passed some bill whereby STATE TAXPAYERS are on the hook for $10m in legal fees if a state employee is sued by the feds. This is not in conjunction with her job in an official capacity. This is total BS.
I also read that they put a statue in Times Square of some fat black chick. I wonder if Tish was the model.
I read the inscription. “The Chocolate Moose.” It’s her.
Nada, it’s way too svelte to be her. I think it’s Lizzo as I’m sure I saw a box of Twinkies in one jand
How much longer shall we continue playing chess with a pigeon?
Lowell’s response letter, published about two weeks ago, seems convincing. Absent further evidence, it looks like there’s no there there.
But of course the FBI can look into it and see whether there is further evidence.
Here is Lowell’s response letter, dated April 24. If you skip the expected hypocritical ranting about persecution and retribution and whatnot, and go to page 4, he addresses the evidence so far adduced against her, and gives convincing answers. If that’s all they have to go on then there’s no case.
But there might be more evidence that won’t be so easy to answer. We won’t know unless the FBI looks.
The Queens mortgage definitely looks criminal. Other times she was described as her father’s daughter, but for the mortgage, they are on it as spouses. Abraham and Sarah in reverse, eh?
The lawyer’s conclusory statement that he thus purchased the house “without her help” doesn’t fit that fact.
Purely an accident?
On the deed, dated the same day, it says she’s his daughter. Do you think the bank didn’t see the deed?!
Convincing to you maybe, the most astute jailhouse lawyer this side of biden
You have apparently not seen anyone with the facts of the matter in hand detail-disassemble Lowell’s letter. Lowell is known to bloviate and make false statements as well, and has a record that would indicate he’s almost never called on his lies. He expects to get away with them. Having seen both the letter and more detailed evidence against James, I now think much less of the letter than when I first saw it.
No, I haven’t seen that. Got a link?
I haven’t seen the source docs but did read that the timeline Lowell produced re to the mortgage docs which he claims exonerate James was not accurately presented. Can’t recall where I saw it. I suspect the the building 5 units v 4 units will be more straightforward. Either it has 5 or 4 and that supposedly that matters for NY/NYC regulatory purposes and mortgage finance purposes. I believe that was the same article that claimed that the brother of ‘Crazy Eddie’ had discovered part or all of this.
As to the VA residence James executed a notarized Power of Attorney (POA) on August 17, 2023, which included a sworn declaration stating, “I hereby declare that I intend to occupy this property as my principal residence.”
Here is a link listing the documents and a timeline. It’s essentially the same as what I found at different sources https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/05/legal-risks-facing-letitia-james-mortgage-fraud-campaign/
Well, since the State of New York requires their Attorney General to live inside the State of New York, that would be problematic, wouldn’t it? Either she lied on that paperwork that she signed, or she didn’t have the legal power of the Attorney General’s office to sue Mr. Trump. Either one is problematic.
Sorry no. It was on both Rumble and on X. Commenting by an attorney in at least one of those instances.
Bro, she signed for a mortgage in VA claiming that would be her permanent residence to get a lower mortgage rate. That is what is known as fraud. It would also make every case she tried in NY go out the window as she had to be a resident of NY to be DA. So take a pick. She is a resident of VA so can’t be DA in NY or she lied on a legal document which is fraud. It’s not hard to understand unless you are being willfully dense
Thanks for posting this. I agree that if the facts alleged in his letter are true, there doesn’t seem to be a basis for a case.
It’s Lowell’s job to make his client seem innocent. The letter may be a test to see how easily people can be fooled. Run it up the flagpole and see how many people salute. If it goes over well enough, go to trial. If it doesn’t, plea bargain.
The process is the punishment. Having the FBI show up in Albany to start the interviews is absolutely worth it. She will cave and melt like the wicked witch of NY that she is. She has limited finances that are soon to be exhausted!
That doesn’t mean she should not also face a term in physical prison for her crimes. Nobody’s above the law!
On, there are plenty that are above the law,…ie, any one of Epstein’s “friends”
Yep. Time to open her book. Interview every person in any way connected to any of the transactions involved. She what lawfare is like. She’ll probably try to get the state to pay her bills. If only she had not used the system exactly the way it may be used against her. Poetic justice.
Yes, that sounds just. It’s what she did to others.
“She has limited finances that are soon to be exhausted!”
James smirks at your comment,, thanks to the Dem New York Legislature:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/taxpayers-could-forced-fund-trump-foe-letitia-james-legal-defense-dem-budget-item-passes
“… to use for their legal defense when the case is in direct response to the official’s exercise of their duties”
That clearly has nothing to due with this and I wonder if spending public money to help an employee out in a private matter would even be legal – but this is NY – so perhaps, in fact, for this purpose.
Say it’s all part of a scheme, and that scheme continued thru 2023, so all the crimes will be brought within the statute of limitations.
No mercy on her. She showed none, she deserves none.
Mine wide, mine deep!
“of weaponizing the DOJ “by targeting James as part of a campaign of ‘political retribution’”
#AManForAllSeasons
Again.
I wonder if all the reporters who wrote “Letitia James is an expert in mortgage fraud” are quietly going back and editing their stories to be less accurate and more rump-covering.
Why? They were right either way.
shes a squatter
anyway you slice it
regardless of the statute of limitations on any of these alleged acts, how can she dispute the intent of her actions?
“why did you include yourself on the mortgage application(s)?”–to secure more favorable financing rates
“why did you declare that you intended to occupy the property as your principal residence?”–to secure more favorable financing rates
“why did you attempt to have a building declared 4-units instead of 5-units as constructed?”–to secure more favorable financing rates
ray charles could see her intent
spent several years as a commercial re broker in another life–one of THE cardinal sins in that business was defrauding a federally insured lender–was an absolute deal stopper
knowing that, would assume either she didn’t care (some people ARE above the law) or, if caught in the act(s), she’s the ag of ny–no big deal
Hopefully she sent the documents back in the US mail and not FEDEX or UPS. That’s mail fraud.
Angry Black Fat Woman Likely Lesbian is in a pickle. I weep for her – NOT,
Usually it’s the other way around. 😉
Grand jury is hearing about it. That elevates it to serious.
Just read that the Federal Grand Jury is in the Eastern District of Virginia.