According to reporting by our friend Drew Berquist, when speaking at a Reverend Al Sharpton National Action Network event, James referenced her ongoing legal battle with Trump and said she had been personally targeted in what she described as an act of retaliation.
“They’ve got individuals coming to my house, standing outside my house,” James told the audience.
“Last Sunday, church Sunday, while I was in church, these individuals were in front of my house taking pictures. And then streaming it, putting it on social media.”
She claimed the incidents are linked to what she called a “revenge tour” by the president, following a civil court ruling in February in which Trump and his company were ordered to pay $454 million in penalties stemming from a civil fraud case brought by James’ office.
In April, the Trump administration referred James for potential prosecution regarding alleged mortgage fraud, Breitbart News reported:
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte sent a criminal referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, stating that James had ‘falsified records’ to get home loans for a property in Virginia that she claimed served as her ‘principal residence’ in 2023. At the same time, she served as a New York state prosecutor.
The alleged falsification occurred right before James started a civil fraud trial against Trump, Breitbart News noted at the time. James claimed Trump and the Trump Organization overinflated values of some of their properties. Her trial against them resulted in a $454 million judgement, but Trump is appealing.
In February 2024, Breitbart News’ Joel B. Pollak wrote that “a review of 70 years of legal history by the Associated Press showed no precedent whatsoever for suing an entrepreneur or business for allegedly inflating real estate values when there was no victim that suffered any damage.”
“Indeed, the record suggests that James held Trump to different rules,” he added.
Now, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into James over her alleged mortgage fraud.
New York’s Northern District, where Pulte’s referral was steered, is led by US Attorney John Sarcone III, an ally of President Trump.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, who reps the district where the investigation was initiated, commended the FBI and Albany prosecutors.
“The investigation into Letitia James is a vital step toward justice,” the Republican congresswoman said in a statement. “I will continue to fight to expose NY corruption, protect constitutional rights, and hold these failed Democrat leaders in NY accountable.”
Pulte’s letter alleged James “falsified records” to obtain favorable loans on a home she purchased in 2023 in Virginia and a Brooklyn brownstone she’s owned since 2001.
The Democrat also allegedly indicated the Virginia home would be her “principal residence” while acting as New York’s top cop, and that she misrepresented the number of units in her Brooklyn residence.
“Ms. James, for both properties listed above, appears to have falsified records in order to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms,” Pulte told Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The potential criminal charges include wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and false statements to a financial institution, among others, Pulte added.
Last month, America First Legal (AFL), a Trump administration-aligned legal watchdog group, filed a complaint against James with the New York State Unified Court System’s Committee on Professional Standards, which oversees disciplinary matters for lawyers licensed in the state.
“If Ms. James has engaged in fraud by deceiving her lenders and the government to obtain financial benefits she would otherwise not be entitled to, then she has engaged in professional misconduct and violated her obligations as a lawyer and is subject to discipline by the New York Bar,” AFL’s April 24 letter reads, according to reporting by the New York Post.
- New York AG Letitia James
- Rev. Al Sharpton
- FBI surveillance
- Revenge Tour
- Mortgage Fraud
- AG Pam Bondi
- Inflated home values
- FBI Criminal investigation
- Rep. Elise Stefanik
- Falsified Records
- Criminal charges
