By Steve Neavling
New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday on federal mortgage fraud charges in Virginia, a move widely seen as politically motivated after President Trump publicly demanded her prosecution.
James, who sued Trump over alleged financial fraud, is accused of making false statements on a loan application for a Norfolk home purchased in 2020. The indictment claims she listed the property as a second residence but later rented it out, securing more favorable loan terms, the Associated Press reports.
The case was brought by the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a former Trump aide who replaced a career prosecutor dismissed after resisting pressure to file charges. The same official also handled last month’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, another longtime Trump critic.
In a statement, James called the charges “a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” saying they reflect “a grave violation of our constitutional order.” Her attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the case “reeks of political retribution” and vowed to fight it in court.
James, 66, the first Black woman elected to statewide office in New York, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Norfolk on Oct. 24.
