Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York, has been indicted on federal charges by a grand jury.
James, who spearheaded a civil fraud probe concerning Trump in 2023, faces bank fraud charges in the Eastern District of Virginia, in Alexandria, as indicated in court filings.
The indictment alleges that James committed bank fraud and made deceptive statements to a financial entity regarding a mortgage loan for a residence in Norfolk, Virginia, as per the documents.
In a statement, James accused the president—who recently pressured prosecutors publicly to pursue criminal charges against her—of perpetrating a “desperate weaponization of our justice system”.
“He is compelling federal law enforcement to act on his behalf, solely because I fulfilled my responsibilities as New York State attorney general,” she remarked.
“These accusations lack merit, and the president’s own public remarks clearly indicate that his only aim is political vengeance at any price.”
The US prosecutor on the case, Lindsey Halligan, stated that this case illustrates that “no one is above the law”.
“The charges in this case represent intentional, criminal behavior and significant breaches of public trust,” she asserted.
“The facts and the law regarding this matter are unequivocal, and we will persist in pursuing them to ensure justice prevails.”
Trump appointed Halligan, his former personal lawyer, to manage the case after the previous US prosecutor, Erik Siebert, stepped down. Siebert was reportedly dismissed after informing the justice department he had not found adequate evidence to bring charges against James.
James is scheduled to make her first court appearance on 24 October in Norfolk.
The federal authorities allege James purchased a three-bedroom home in Norfolk via a mortgage loan that mandated her to designate the property as her secondary residence and forbade shared ownership or “timesharing” arrangements.
The indictment alleges that the property “was not occupied or used” by James as a secondary residence, but was instead “utilized as a rental investment property,” which was leased to a family of three.
This “misrepresentation” enabled James to secure advantageous loan terms that would not have been accessible for an investment property, according to prosecutors.
Halligan remarked that, if found guilty, James could face up to 30 years in prison for each count and fines up to $1 million (£751,755) per count.
James’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, expressed: “We are extremely concerned that this case is motivated by President Trump’s wish for retaliation.”
Last month, Trump urged US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is in charge of the justice department, in a social media post to pursue legal action against his political rivals, including James.
“We can’t wait any longer, it’s damaging our reputation and credibility,” he stated.
James was among several individuals opposing Trump mentioned in that post. He also called on Bondi to investigate former FBI Director James Comey, who was criminally charged shortly afterward. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday after being accused of providing a false statement to Congress.
The justice department has also reportedly commenced inquiries into Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton and California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.
In the civil fraud case initiated by James, Trump was ruled liable for falsifying records to secure more favorable loan arrangements, resulting in a $500m (£375m) penalty. The penalty was later dismissed by an appeals court, which deemed it excessive, although it upheld that Trump was liable for fraud.
Throughout the case, Trump frequently criticized James outside the courtroom, claiming she was conducting a “political witch hunt” against him. James asserted that the courts had declared that Trump was “not above the law”.
On Thursday, James stated she supports her office’s legal actions against Trump and his organization.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, remarked that James’s indictment “is nothing short of the weaponization of the Justice Department to penalize those who hold the powerful accountable.”
The New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union termed it “the latest in a long series of audacious abuses of power by President Trump.”
