BREAKING: Trump admin hits Letitia James with criminal referral to DOJ over alleged mortgage fraud
“Based on media reports, Ms. Letitia James has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms.”
The Trump administration hit New York Attorney General Letitia James with a criminal referral for alleged mortgage fraud on Tuesday, according to a report from the New York Post.
The outlet reported that Federal Housing FHFA Director William Pulte sent the referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi as well as the Department of Justice, and accused James of having “falsified records” to get a home loan in Virginia while she was still serving as the New York state AG. The alleged false documents said that James’ home in Virginia was her “principal residence.” When a home is labeled as ones “principal residence,” loans will sometimes have more favorable terms.
The criminal referral reads in part, “Based on media reports, Ms. Letitia James has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms. This has potentially included 1) falsifying residence status for a Norfolk, Virginia-based home in order to secure a lower mortgage rate and 2) misrepresenting property descriptions to meet stringent requirements for government backed loans and government assistance.”
According to the referral letter, James bought up a multi-family unit in Brooklyn, but “consistently misrepresented the same property as only having four units in both building permit applications and numerous mortgage documents and applications” the letter alleged.
In addition to these, Pulte said that James had purchased a property with her father as a cosigner in 1983 as well as 2000, but that the documents labeled the pair as “husband and wife.”
“While this was a long time ago, it raises serious concerns about the validity of Ms. James representations on mortgage applications,” Pulte added.