ALBANY, NY- It’s the Return of the Jedi. In our story, Jedi Master Donald Trump is striking back against the evil Empire, in this case, New York’s rotund Attorney General Letitia James, who famously once reminded us that “no one is above the law.”
The New York Post reports that America First Legal (AFL), a legal watchdog group closely tied to President Trump, is demanding that New York State probe allegations of mortgage fraud against James, who zealously targeted the president with a lawfare case involving alleged “overpriced” real estate.
AFL filed the complaint against James with the New York State Unified Court System’s Committee on Professional Standards, which oversees disciplinary matters involving attorneys licensed in the Empire State.
In a five-page filing, AFL addresses allegations also sent in a letter seeking a federal investigation into James, which Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte forwarded to the Justice Department earlier last month.
Pulte alleges that James “falsified records” to obtain favorable home loans for a Virginia property, which she claimed as her “primary residence” despite being the AG in New York, and a Brooklyn apartment she owns which she claimed was a four-family unit instead of a five-family unit, which carries higher interest rates.
“If Ms. James has engaged in fraud by deceiving her lenders and the government to obtain financial benefits she would otherwise not be entitled to, then she has engaged in professional misconduct and violated her obligations as a lawyer and is subject to discipline by the New York Bar,” AFL’s April 24 letter reads.
“As the chief legal officer for the State of New York, Ms. James ought to aspire to the highest ethical standards. Instead, it appears she has repeatedly traded in her integrity for a monetary benefit through deceiving lenders and the public in pursuit of personal enrichment.”
In the case of the Virginia home, James purchased the property with her niece, Shamice Thompson, in 2023 after taking out a $219,780 mortgage for her “principal residence” while serving as New York’s AG. It is state law that the AG lives within New York State proper.
A legal document citing power-of-attorney papers from 2023 signed by James authorizing purchase of the property had her attest, “I hereby declare I intend to occupy this property as my principal residence.”
However, James’ lawyer, Abbe David Lowell, claims it was a “clerical error,” while accusing Pulte of selectively including the letter to support his allegations.
In a letter to US Attorney General Pam Bondi last week, Lowell said the accusations were part of a “revenge tour” by the Trump administration for her lawfare campaign against the president. That lawfare campaign included a civil fraud case where the president was hit with a nearly half-billion-dollar judgment.
“Director Pulte cherry-picked an August 17, 2023 power of attorney that mistakenly stated the property to be Ms. James’ principal residence and at the same time absolutely ignored her very clear and all caps statement two weeks earlier to the mortgage loan broker that ‘[th]his property WILL NOT be my primary residence,” Lowell screeched in the letter.
Lowell also attempted to downplay Pulte’s accusations about her Brooklyn residence, which she has owned since 2001.
“Director Pulte points to a 24-year-old certificate of occupancy listing the property as having five units, despite that the property has functioned as a four-unit residence for the past 24 years since Ms. James bought it,” Lowell wrote.
“In fact, a document he is well aware of, the August 23, 2011 Home Affordable Modification Program application, confirms it being a four-unit property.”
However, a 2024 Project Veritas investigation found documents that showed the misclassification of the Brooklyn property at 296 Lafayette St., Brooklyn, NY.
Also, Sam E. Antar, a forensic accountant, posted on X that the New York City Department of Buildings had validated the 5-unit Certificate of Occupancy for the Brooklyn property. In addition, James signed mortgage documents with her father claiming to be "husband and wife," not "father and daughter."
Lowell, who contended the accusations against James were part of President Trump's “retribution” campaign, was retained by the AG’s office instead of James in her personal capacity, according to a Times Union report. In other words, New York taxpayers are paying to defend her from fraud accusations committed in her individual capacity.
James’ office claims that since the decision evolved from her official capacity, the AG’s office was within their rights to retain an attorney
The New York Post reached out to James’ office, and a spokesperson referred The Post to Lowell’s letter to AG Bondi and refused to comment further.
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