NY Attorney General Letitia James indicted on federal fraud charges

A federal grand jury in Virginia has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, according to prosecutors.

U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan announced the charges on Thursday. “The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” she said.

The indictment, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, accuses James of bank fraud and false statements to financial institutions. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison per count, fines of up to $1 million each, and forfeiture of assets.

The indictment document, was returned by a grand jury and signed by U.S. Attorney Halligan. Its specific factual allegations remain under seal.

In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said: “One tier of justice for all Americans.”

James called the case “a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.” She accused President Trump of orchestrating the prosecution in retaliation for her prior investigations into his business and political activities.

“This is nothing more than political retribution,” James said. “He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as New York’s attorney general.”

James added that her removal of a U.S. attorney who declined to pursue charges against her, and the appointment of one “blindly loyal to the president,” showed “a great violation of our constitutional order.” She vowed to “fight these baseless charges aggressively.”