NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty on Friday to criminal charges that she committed bank fraud and made false statements to a lender when she bought a house in Norfolk, Virginia, five years ago.
James is contesting charges brought earlier this month by a prosecutor whom President Donald Trump abruptly installed after her predecessor resigned under pressure. James was indicted on one count each of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
When asked if she understood the charges and her rights, James said, “Yes Judge.”
The Justice Department’s probe into James stemmed from claims by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte that she may have committed mortgage fraud based on the residence status she listed on loan applications.
The indictment alleges that to get favorable mortgage terms, James falsely represented that a Norfolk property she bought in 2020 would be used as a secondary residence. Prosecutors claim that James actually used it as an investment property that she rented to a family, and didn’t intend to occupy it.
The New York attorney general, who won a contentious civil fraud trial against Trump and his family company in 2024, is one of several high-profile individuals charged in recent weeks by the US Justice Department, after Trump demanded legal action against some his biggest perceived political enemies.
The case is US v. James, 2:25-cr-122, US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Norfolk).
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