New York Attorney General Letitia James found herself the subject of a bar complaint filed last week related to allegations that she committed mortgage fraud.
Filed by America First Legal (AFL), the complaint, which was publicly disclosed on Monday, cited claims made in a criminal referral sent to the Justice Department by U.S. Federal Housing Director William J. Pulte earlier this month. The referral was addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
As The Federalist’s Brianna Lyman reported, Pulte’s filing contended that “James allegedly ‘falsified records’ to obtain home loans for a property in Virginia that she claimed in 2023 was her ‘principal residence’ despite serving in New York at the time, according to The [New York] Post.” “The alleged falsification,” Lyman wrote, “occurred weeks before she launched her politically motivated sham trial against the Trump Organization for allegedly inflating the values of its properties.”
“Ms. James, for both properties listed above, appears to have falsified records in order to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms,” Pulte’s referral reads. “U.S. Federal Housing FHFA believes this and other alleged misconduct could be violations of the criminal code under 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud), 18 U.S.C. § 1341 (mail fraud), 18 U.S.C. § 1344 (bank fraud), 18 U.S.C. § 1014 (false statements to a financial institution), and/or other relevant state and federal laws.”
[READ: Letitia ‘No One Is Above The Law’ James Accused Of Doing Exactly What She Prosecuted Trump For]
In its bar complaint filed with the Committee on Professional Standards in New York, AFL cited the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which it noted, “define fraud as conduct that ‘has a purpose to deceive.’” The legal group argued that James’ alleged “material misrepresentations meet that definition and call into question her candor, trustworthiness, and honesty.”
AFL claimed that the New York bar “has an independent duty to conduct its own investigation into the allegations raised in Mr. Pulte’s letter,” and subsequently contended that the Committee has the “authority to begin an investigation based on this complaint or to act on its own.”
“This Committee should exercise its statutory authority and launch its own independent investigation into these allegations. The legal profession ought to continue to regulate itself. A failure to do so would tell the public that certain officials are above the law,” the complaint reads.
Should the allegations against James be proven true, the legal group requested that the Committee “impose appropriate discipline.”
“As Ms. James herself previously explained, ‘no matter how big, rich, or powerful you think you are, no one is above the law,’” the complaint concluded.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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