logo
Letitia James dodges questions about mortgage fraud scandal outside NYC home, pretends to be on the phone

Letitia James dodges questions about mortgage fraud scandal outside NYC home, pretends to be on the phone

Yahoo09-05-2025

Embattled New York Attorney General Letitia James ducked reporters outside her Brooklyn home Wednesday, refusing to answer questions about her simmering mortgage fraud scandal.
James, who infamously declared 'no one is above the law' when prosecuting former President Donald Trump, feigned talking on her cellphone as reporters peppered her with questions about her getting slapped with a federal criminal referral alleging mortgage fraud.
According to a letter obtained by The Post, James, who draws an annual salary of $220,000, allegedly 'falsified records' to get sweetheart home loans for a Virginia property she claimed as her 'principal residence' in 2023 — while she was still serving as a New York state prosecutor.
View this document on Scribd
The letter, penned by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy AG Todd Blanche, also claims James purchased a five-family dwelling in Brooklyn in February 2001 that she 'consistently misrepresented' as only having four units, both in building permit applications and mortgage documents.
Trump administration refers NY AG Letitia James for potential prosecution over alleged mortgage fraud
Conservatives celebrate after Trump admin refers NY AG Letitia James for potential prosecution: 'Karma'
Letitia 'no one is above the law' James dodges questions about mortgage fraud scandal outside NYC home, pretends to be on phone
Pulte included several documents in the letter that also showed James purchased a property in 1983 and 2000 — co-signed by her father — but falsely listed the pair as 'husband and wife.'
'Ms. James, for both properties listed above, appears to have falsified records in order to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms,' he told Bondi and Blanche.
Pulte said this could amount to criminal charges, including wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and false statements to a financial institution, among others.
'Attorney General James is focused every single day on protecting New Yorkers, especially as this Administration weaponizes the federal government against the rule of law and the Constitution. She will not be intimidated by bullies — no matter who they are,' a spokesman for James' office said in a statement.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Retired Justice Stephen Breyer's brother assigned to Newsom National Guard lawsuit
Retired Justice Stephen Breyer's brother assigned to Newsom National Guard lawsuit

Fox News

time18 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Retired Justice Stephen Breyer's brother assigned to Newsom National Guard lawsuit

The brother of retired liberal Justice Stephen Breyer was assigned Tuesday to preside over the lawsuit that Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom brought against the Trump administration in California this week. Judge Charles Breyer, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, is set to oversee the case, which alleges President Donald Trump deprived California of its sovereignty by federalizing thousands of National Guard soldiers in response to anti-immigration enforcement protests and riots in Los Angeles County. Breyer is the younger brother of Stephen Breyer, who was appointed by Clinton to the high court and served on the bench for nearly three decades beginning in 1994. Stephen Breyer's retirement led to former President Joe Biden replacing him with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Charles Breyer, who serves on the federal bench in the Northern District of California, will oversee a lawsuit that pits Newsom, one of the country's most prominent Democrats and a possible 2028 presidential contender, against Trump. Newsom alleged in the lawsuit that Trump made an "unprecedented power grab" by mobilizing the National Guard in his state, a highly unusual move for a president to do without the consent of the governor. Trump has said the move was necessary to protect ICE personnel and federal buildings as some protesters engaged in unlawful assembly and pelted law enforcement with concrete bottles and other hard objects. After the National Guard proclamation, more unrest broke out in parts of the county involving rioters setting fire to several self-driving cars and looting some stores. Newsom alleged Trump's decision to send in the military spurred more chaos. Federal court cases in the Northern District of California are assigned by the Clerk of the Court "blindly and at random" through an automated system, according to the court's website. Fox News Digital reached out to Charles Breyer's chambers for comment on his assignment. The news of Charles Breyer presiding over the case comes as some Republicans have floated the theory that Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., secretly took on Trump cases to sabotage them in favor of plaintiffs. Boasberg directly addressed the claims during a court hearing, saying his assignments, like most others in the court, were randomly assigned by a computer.

Former local news anchor sues rival station for defamation over report he says portrayed him as a ‘child predator'
Former local news anchor sues rival station for defamation over report he says portrayed him as a ‘child predator'

CNN

time21 minutes ago

  • CNN

Former local news anchor sues rival station for defamation over report he says portrayed him as a ‘child predator'

A former local news anchor in Shreveport, Louisiana, has sued a rival station for defamation, accusing it of engaging in 'character assassination' after it ran a report he says portrayed him as a 'child predator.' Emmy Award-winning journalist Bill Lunn, a former anchor for ABC affiliate KTBS, filed the lawsuit late last month against rival local outlet KTAL, its married co-anchors Daniel and Jacquelyn Jovic, and its owner, Nexstar. The complaint was filed almost one year after Lunn resigned from KTBS in advance of a KTAL report claiming Lunn had been busted by 'vigilantes targeting men seeking to prey on underage girls.' Lunn had been cleared by a police investigation, and no charges were filed — a fact KTAL included in its report. Nevertheless, the former anchor said in his lawsuit that KTAL and Nexstar failed to 'vet, edit or confirm allegations that labeled him a child predator.' Lunn resigned to spare his employer any embarrassment, he said in the lawsuit, 'with the intention and hope to return to work once the facts cleared his name.' However, the lawsuit alleges the KTAL report ultimately 'ended his career in broadcast journalism.' The former anchor alleged that KTAL targeted him because of their two stations' rivalry in the Shreveport market. 'Jovic and his co-Defendants seized on the opportunity to bend the facts to their will in an attempt (to) take out or otherwise substantially interfere with the market leader and their direct competitor, Lunn,' the lawsuit alleges. Lunn downloaded the popular dating app Tinder on May 27, 2024, and was sent a message of 'interest' from a person he thought was a 19-year-old woman the same day, according to the lawsuit. Shortly thereafter, Lunn was asked to text the woman on her cellphone, after which she 'initiated a sexually explicit exchange.' Two days after the initial message, the supposed 19-year-old invited Lunn to her home, where he was ushered in by a woman. Upon entry, Lunn was 'beaten and robbed of his belongings' by a trio of men. After escaping the house, Lunn returned home and, with the help of another person, called the Shreveport Police Department, according to the lawsuit. Once police arrived, Lunn recounted the night's events and provided his cellphone to aid in law enforcement's investigation, at which point he noticed that the woman had edited her age in a text message from 19 to 16, the lawsuit says. Her Tinder profile, however, still showed her as being 19 years old. In the days that followed, Daniel Jovic, the rival reporter, contacted a police source to inquire whether Lunn had been found with a 14-year-old girl and whether he had fled from the police, according to the lawsuit. Jovic was told Lunn did not run, that no arrests were made and that the investigation was ongoing, the lawsuit says. Jovic interviewed the trio of men for a newscast he led with his co-anchor and wife, Jacquelyn, which was broadcast on June 3, 2024. According to the lawsuit, that newscast allegedly 'lied, misrepresented, and ignored the evidence in their possession,' relying on 'an interview conducted with a wholesale lack of diligence.' 'After meeting them, Jovic engaged in leading and calculated questioning eventually eliciting some 'facts' that, despite the source and Jovic's own training and knowledge as to their questionable truth or veracity, culminated in the false broadcast that derailed Lunn's career,' the lawsuit read. The next day, Daniel Jovic published a story on KTAL's website, revealing the group of local so-called predator hunters 'pretending to be an underage girl in an effort to 'catfish' local men who are allegedly trying to meet up for sex.' Despite publishing two subsequent stories — one reporting Lunn's denials and another reporting that police cleared Lunn — KTAL and the Jovic couple have 'never acknowledged, corrected, or retracted their numerous defamatory broadcasts in which they named Petitioner a child predator,' the lawsuit says. A Nexstar lawyer told Lunn's attorney that the company 'stands by the journalist and the stories as presented,' according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit does not list a specific dollar amount in damages sought by Lunn. However, he 'demands a trial by jury' in order to 'hold these Defendants accountable for their actions.' Nexstar, KTAL, Daniel Jovic and Jacquelyn Jovic did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store