Multiple reports on Thursday said the FBI launched an investigation into alleged mortgage fraud claims against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who rose to national prominence through her legal battles with President Donald Trump.
Citing law enforcement sources, the reports said the FBI’s Albany office is handling the investigation, which stems from allegations that James falsified records to secure favorable home loans on properties she purchased in Virginia and Brooklyn in 2023.
The allegations were raised last month when Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte, a Trump appointee, sent a letter to the Justice Department calling for an investigation.
“At the time of the 2023 Norfolk, VA property purchase and mortgage, Ms. James was the sitting Attorney General of New York and is required by law to have her primary residence in the state of New York — even though her mortgage applications list her intent to have the Norfolk, VA property as her primary home,” Pulte wrote.
James has denied wrongdoing and dismissed the calls for a federal investigation as politically motivated. Last year, her office investigated the Trump Organization and took it to civil court based on allegations that the president exaggerated the value of his assets to obtain better loans and insurance premiums. During her pursuit of Trump as he ran for president, James repeatedly emphasized that “no one is above the law.”
In addition to the FBI’s Albany office working on the investigation, which the Times Union newspaper reported, the Guardian mentioned that there has been a federal grand jury impaneled in the Eastern District of Virginia ever since Pulte made his referral to the DOJ.
The Washington Examiner could not confirm the existence of the FBI investigation. A spokesperson for the Eastern District of Virginia declined to comment, noting the department’s policy is not to comment on potential pending investigations.
James has been one of Trump’s most visible legal opponents since his return to the Oval Office. She has joined other Democratic state attorneys general in lawsuits challenging his administration’s policies on election rules, healthcare, and education.
Meanwhile, the civil fraud lawsuit she spearheaded against Trump in 2022 resulted in New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ordering him to pay a penalty of more than $450 million, with interest accruing as Trump awaits a determination by the state appeals court over his effort to toss out the fine.
During the 2024 race, Trump repeatedly slammed James and Engoron, accusing them of political bias.
James, however, has stood by her office’s work, portraying herself as a defender of the rule of law against political intimidation. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has also hit out against Trump, suggesting the alleged investigation into James is unsurprising.
“He said he was going to go after his enemies. He’s declared he’d be going after his enemies, and he’s finally gotten down to maybe the J’s on his list — Tish James. He’s going to keep going,” Hochul said last month. “I’m going to allow her to have a chance to explain all this.”
LETITIA JAMES SUBJECT OF ETHICS COMPLAINT TO NEW YORK STATE COURTS AFTER CRIMINAL REFERRAL
Although James has not been charged with anything, the reported FBI investigation marks an escalation following Pulte’s DOJ referral. Meanwhile, a pro-Trump law firm, America First Legal, has filed an ethics complaint against her in the Empire State related to Putle’s DOJ referral.
A representative for James did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner. The Department of Justice and a spokesperson for the FBI’s Albany office also declined to comment.