As Matt and Sarah have touched on this week, New York's Democratic Attorney General may soon find herself in hot legal water. Letitia James famously told voters she'd use her powers to come after Donald Trump, which she then proceeded to do, pursuing a civil case for "fraud" in which the supposedly defrauded victims denied that they were defrauded or victimized. James' office used a legal approach that even the Associated Press admitted had never been applied in the same manner to anyone else, ever (James' fellow anti-Trump partisan Alvin Bragg did something similar on the criminal side in Manhattan, of course). But now, Ms. James is in the legal crosshairs, as a federal official has filed a criminal referral over real estate irregularities in her personal portfolio. Much of the 'news' media is framing this as pure political revenge, thus attempting to delegitimize the allegations against James. While I have absolutely no doubt that Trump would love to help bring about her downfall for all sorts of reasons, the substance of the allegations matters -- especially in light of James' self-righteous 'no one is above the law' declarations as she justified her politically-motivated witch hunt against Trump in New York, to which few in the press objected.
The flashback montage at the start of this Laura Ingraham segment reminds us of how James boasted about the letter of the law applying to everyone, no matter how prominent or powerful. After the montage, Ingraham lays out the allegations against James, then brings in law professor Jonathan Turley for analysis:
Ingraham Angle EXCLUSIVE:
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) April 16, 2025
Bombshell criminal referral on NY AG & Trump prosecutor Letitia James from Federal Housing Authority. Document contains serious claims of mortgage fraud and includes several pages of documentary evidence. pic.twitter.com/w8bFH6G3u6
The editors of the Wall Street Journal offer a pointed 'told you so' to James and Democratic lawfare enthusiasts:
New York Attorney General Letitia James ran for office openly promising voters to find some offense, any offense, against Donald Trump. Her policy was target the person, then find the offense, which is an abuse of prosecutorial power. This lawfare is now coming back to haunt her as the Trump Administration may investigate her for allegedly false claims related to real estate. The New York Post reports that the Federal Housing Finance Agency has sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department alleging that Ms. James “appeared to have falsified records” related to properties she owns in New York and Virginia. One allegation is that she claimed the property was her “principal residence” in 2023 when she was serving as the state prosecutor in New York. This allegedly allowed her to secure more favorable loan terms.
Ms. James’s office told the Post that she wouldn’t be “intimidated by bullies,” without addressing the substance of the allegation. On the facts reported by the Post, she may have a problem. The government has prosecuted others for false statements on mortgage-loan applications...Her civil prosecution of Mr. Trump for overvaluing his assets was a weak case in which there was no real victim. But she kept saying, “no one is above the law.” It’s impossible to judge the allegations against Ms. James without seeing the evidence if any charges are ever brought. But it’s not too soon to lament this bipartisan use of the law and government power to punish political opponents. It is eroding public confidence in the fairness of the justice system. But Ms. James and her fellow Democrats cast the first stones, so she shouldn’t be surprised if the next one shatters her windows.
New York Attorney General Letitia James listed a Virginia home more than 300 miles from her office in New York City as her “principal residence” in official public documents obtained by The Post — but neighbors said Wednesday that they’ve never seen her. According to Norfolk property records, James granted power of attorney to her niece Shamice Thompson-Hairston on Aug. 17, 2023, authorizing the purchase of the Virginia property — for which they secured a $219,780 mortgage. In the document, James attested, “I hereby declare I intend to occupy this property as my principal residence.” The document was witnessed by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy and a New York state secretary — and notarized...The 1,450-square-foot home is at the center of a federal criminal referral for mortgage fraud alleging James “falsified records” to get a more favorable loan rate when she purchased the residence in 2023 with her niece. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte detailed these and other allegations of James playing fast and loose with residency requirements in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche obtained by The Post...The referral also accused James, whose salary is $220,000, of misrepresenting the number of apartments for a building she owns in Brooklyn — saying it has four units, when NYC Department of Buildings records say it has five. That’s a key distinction because buildings with four or fewer units quality for mortgages with better terms.
If proven in court, this would constitute the sort of fraud for which many people have been prosecuted -- and it doesn't look like any novel legal theories or gymnastics would need to be performed in the process. James saying she won't be "intimidated by bullies" is unresponsive to the actual accusations here. It's also rich given her role as the preening anti-'fraud' aggressor against Trump. The man who seems to have dug up this scandal is himself a convicted felon who has since used his knowledge to assist law enforcement investigate white collar crimes. I interviewed him on my radio show this week, opening out discussion by quoting this portion of his own bio, which he sent us. This is not your typical guest biography:
I am a convicted felon and a former CPA. As the criminal CFO of Crazy Eddie, I helped my cousin Eddie Antar and other members of his family mastermind one of the largest securities frauds uncovered during the 1980's. I committed my crimes in cold-blood for fun and profit, and simply because I could. If it weren't for the heroic efforts of the FBI, SEC, Postal Inspector's Office, US Attorney's Office, and class action plaintiff's lawyers who investigated, prosecuted, and sued me, I would still be the criminal CFO of Crazy Eddie today. There is a saying, "It takes one to know one."
The bio adds that since his conviction, he has gone on to "advise federal and state law enforcement agencies about white-collar crime and train them to identify and catch the crooks. Refer cases to them as an independent whistleblower. Teach about white-collar crime for professional organizations, businesses, and colleges and universities." I asked him about his background could be used by Letitia James and her defenders to question his credibility, then we delved into the specifics of what he's discovered so far about her alleged fraudlent actions. He also hinted that there's more to come. Listen to the full interview here -- and stay tuned to this story:
