Federal law enforcement officials have initiated a formal investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James regarding allegations of mortgage fraud, as of Thursday. Reports indicate that the FBI and U.S. attorneys from Upstate New York began this investigation after receiving a referral from William J. Pulte, the U.S. Federal Housing and Finance Director, who suggested in a letter that James may have falsified her mortgage documents.
The FBI has not commented on the investigation, while the Department of Justice directed inquiries to the FBI. Pulte’s letter reportedly claimed that James listed Norfolk, Virginia, as her “primary residence” in 2023, despite legal obligations requiring her to maintain a substantial residence in New York. The claims of alleged misconduct were first highlighted by white-collar fraud analysis.
Additional reports from sources like the New York Post and CBS News have confirmed the formal investigation into James, quoting anonymous individuals familiar with the situation.
Pulte’s April letter to Attorney General Pam Bondy and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche detailed multiple instances where he believed James had falsified bank documents and property records to benefit from government loans and support. He specified allegations of misrepresenting residential properties in Virginia to secure lower mortgage rates and manipulating property descriptions to qualify for government aid.
When investigators from the Daily Caller News Foundation visited in April, it seemed James wasn’t residing in either of the two Virginia homes referenced in the fraud report.
Republican New York State Rep. Elise Stefanik commended the efforts of the FBI and Upstate New York lawyers in pursuing this investigation. “No one is above the law,” she stated, highlighting the severity of the allegations and criticizing the perceived hypocrisy of James, who has purportedly committed the same offenses she has accused others of.
U.S. attorneys from Upstate New York did not provide any comments regarding the investigation.
