Federal investigators have launched a criminal probe against New York attorney general Letitia James, who famously won a $454 million fraud judgment against president Donald Trump and his real estate company.
Federal Housing Finance Agency director William Pulte sent a letter last month to the Department of Justice requesting the investigation for alleged mortgage fraud, which attorney general Pam Bondi steered to the US Attorney’s Office in Albany, reported the Albany Times Union.
"Although James is a statewide elected official with offices in Albany, the transactions involve her personal property purchases and loans that were processed in New York City and Virginia," the newspaper reported. "Some of the transactions 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 Norfolk, Virginia."
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The Times Union has reported that documents related to James' property transactions, some dating back to 1983, have circulated to news outlets and elected officials by a man using a fake name and claiming to be part of a group that had been probing the attorney general's record since, he claims, a friend took their own life while under investigation for mortgage fraud by the AG's office.
The documents eventually made their way to Pulte, who sent a referral letter to Bondi last month alleging that James may have “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms.”
Pulte accused the attorney general of "falsifying residence status for a Norfolk, Virginia-based home in order to secure a lower mortgage rate and … misrepresenting property descriptions to meet stringent requirements for government backed loans and government assistance.”
