Letitia James indicted on federal criminal charges

A federal grand jury in Virginia has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan said James faces up to 30 years in prison per count, up to a $1 million fine on each count and forfeiture if convicted.

“No one is above the law. The charges in this case represent intentional criminal acts and enormous breaches of public trust,” Halligan said. “The facts and law in this case are clear, and we will continue to follow them to ensure justice is served.”

In a statement, James said the accusations were part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to impose “political retaliation at all costs.”

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New York Attorney General Letitia James is accused of making false or misleading statements on property records to obtain better loan terms. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“His decision to fire a U.S. Attorney who refused to file charges against me — and replace him with someone who is blindly loyal not to the law, but to the president — is contrary to the fundamental principles of our country,” James said. “Now is the time for leaders on both sides to denounce this blatant perversion of our justice system.

“I strongly support my office’s lawsuit against the Trump Organization,” she added. “We conducted a two-year investigation based on facts and evidence, not politics. The judges upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company and his two sons are liable for fraud.”

Earlier this year, the Justice Department opened an investigation into James for alleged mortgage fraud after James successfully won a civil lawsuit last year against Trump and his Trump Organization over allegations of improper business practices.

In a letter, Federal Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte alleged that James could have engaged in mortgage fraud by making false or misleading statements on property records, such as a loan application indicating that his property in Virginia was his primary residence, a building filing indicating that his multifamily property in Brooklyn incorrectly had five residences instead of four, and a mortgage application falsely indicating that James was his father’s spouse.

In September, a housing and financial banker familiar with the investigation into James told Fox News that she was under scrutiny for, in at least one case, declaring an investment property she owns as her primary or secondary residence, which would give her better loan terms.

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James, a Democrat in his second term, has denied any wrongdoing. She previously said she made a mistake while filling out a form related to buying a house, but corrected it. She emphasized that she never attempted to deceive the lender.

“I am a proud woman of faith and I know that faith and fear cannot share the same space,” she said Thursday. “And so, today, I am not afraid, I am not afraid, and as my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me will prosper. We will aggressively fight these baseless accusations, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights. And I will continue to do my job.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James is a longtime political foe of President Donald Trump. (Jim Franco/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized Trump, saying he was using the Justice Department as his “personal attack dog” to go after his political opponents.

“This is what tyranny looks like. President Trump is using the Justice Department as his personal attack dog, targeting Attorney General Tish James for the ‘crime’ of suing him for fraud – and winning,” he said. “A U.S. Attorney has already turned down this case. So Trump chose an unqualified hack that would go after another political enemy. That’s not justice. That’s revenge. And that should horrify every American who believes no one is above the law.”

Halligan was appointed to oversee the matter by Trump after the ouster of his predecessor, Erik Siebert.

Siebert reportedly expressed doubts about pursuing charges against James and former FBI Director James Comey, both longtime Trump critics. Trump had previously called for James to be indicted in recent months.

“Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff and Leti