New York Attorney General Letitia James, a longtime foe of President Donald Trump, was indicted on prison prices together with financial institution fraud on Thursday (October 9, 2025), the Justice Department mentioned, because the administration seeks to make use of authorities energy towards those that have pursued investigations into him or publicly resisted his agenda. Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. legal professional for the Eastern District of Virginia, mentioned Ms. James had been indicted on one depend of financial institution fraud and one depend of constructing a false assertion to a lending establishment. The Justice Department has been probing mortgage fraud allegations towards her.

“The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” Ms. Halligan mentioned.

Each depend is punishable by as much as 30 years in jail, however ought to Ms. James be convicted, any sentence could be decided by a decide.

Neither Ms. James’ attorneys nor representatives of her workplace instantly responded to requests for remark. Mr. Trump, a Republican who campaigned for reelection partially on a vow of retribution after going through a slew of authorized woes since his first time period within the White House led to 2021, has repeatedly assailed James on social media and at political rallies as a partisan enemy.

New York state Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, mentioned in a put up on X, “What we’re seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable.”

Indictment follows prices towards Comey

The indictment of Ms. James comes after a grand jury in Virginia on September 25 indicted former FBI Director James Comey on prices of constructing false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation. Mr. Comey pleaded not responsible on Wednesday (October 8, 2025). Mr. Trump has often assailed Mr. Comey’s dealing with of the FBI investigation that detailed contacts between Russia and Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign.

Both indictments come after Mr. Trump, in a September 20 social media put up addressed to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, mentioned Ms. James, Mr. Comey, and U.S. Senator Adam Schiff have been “guilty as hell.”

The indictments towards Ms. James and Mr. Comey have been each introduced by Ms. Halligan, who was put in final month as the highest federal prosecutor in Alexandria, Virginia. Her predecessor, Erik Siebert, resigned on September 19, hours after Mr. Trump informed reporters, “I want him out.” Mr. Siebert believed the proof towards Mr. Comey and Ms. James was weak, two folks aware of the matter informed Reuters on the time.

As with the Mr. Comey case, Ms. Halligan offered the proof towards Ms. James to the grand jury by herself, with out assist from profession prosecutors within the workplace, an individual aware of the matter mentioned. Prosecutors within the workplace have beforehand expressed issues concerning the energy of the proof towards her, Reuters beforehand reported.

Mr. Comey’s attorneys are anticipated to argue Ms. Halligan was unlawfully appointed as U.S. legal professional. If that movement is profitable, it might complicate the circumstances towards Mr. Comey and Ms. James down the highway. Ms. James is one in every of a number of Democratic State Attorneys General who’ve sued to dam Trump administration actions. She is greatest identified for bringing a civil fraud case towards mR. Trump and his household actual property firm in 2022. The case resulted in a $454.2 million penalty towards Mr. Trump after a decide discovered he fraudulently overstated his internet price to dupe lenders. A New York state appeals courtroom in August threw out the penalty, which had grown to greater than a half-billion {dollars} with curiosity, however upheld the trial decide’s discovering that Mr. Trump was accountable for fraud. Both Mr. Trump and Ms. James’ workplace are interesting to the State’s highest courtroom.

Mr. Trump denied wrongdoing. He has accused James’ workplace of bringing the case towards him for political causes.

James’ lawyer denies allegations

The Justice Department’s mortgage fraud probe into Ms. James was opened after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte, a Mr. Trump appointee, despatched a letter to the U.S. Justice Department alleging Ms. James “falsified records” to acquire favorable loans on houses she bought in Virginia and Brooklyn.

In his referral letter, Mr. Pulte wrote that Ms. James indicated in a mortgage software {that a} Virginia property she was shopping for in 2023 could be her main residence, despite the fact that she lived in New York.

Ms. James’ lawyer Abbe Lowell has mentioned that she mistakenly acknowledged that the property could be a main residence. He mentioned she made it clear in different paperwork that it will not be her main residence, and that her dealer understood that. The Justice Department, after receiving referrals from Mr. Pulte, has additionally opened mortgage fraud probes into Schiff, a Democrat who led the House of Representatives’ inquiry that led to Mr. Trump’s impeachment in 2019, and Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden.

Neither Mr. Schiff nor Ms. Cook has been charged with a criminal offense, and so they each deny wrongdoing.

Loans for main residences can carry decrease charges than mortgages on funding properties or second houses, which banks think about riskier. It is unclear whether or not Ms. James’, Mr. Schiff’s, or Ms. Cook’s lenders took their supposed use of the houses into consideration in figuring out charges.

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