Grand jury declines to re-indict Letitia James after judge dismissed first case

"A grand jury declined to indict Letitia James on Thursday, according to a source familiar with the decision, a decision that came less than two weeks after a judge ruled that a similar mortgage fraud case brought by federal prosecutors against the New York attorney general was unlawful. The move by the justice department to present the case again to a grand jury was seen as a signal of its determination to prosecute James, who has been one of Donald Trump's top political foes ever since she successfully brought a fraud lawsuit against him in New York."

"James was first charged in October with one count of bank fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution. The charges are in connection to a mortgage she obtained for a home in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020. Prosecutors say James got a more favorable rate on the mortgage because she indicated it would be a second home when she actually wound up renting it out to others. The difference in rates saved her about $18,933 over the life of the loan. James's niece lives in the home and reportedly told a federal grand jury earlier this year she did not pay rent."

"James has said she did nothing wrong and argued that the prosecutor who handled it, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia. Halligan, a former White House aide and Trump ally, personally presented the case to the original grand jury that indicted James. Halligan was installed in the role in late September after Erik Siebert, her predecessor, was forced out after determining there wasn't enough evidence to file criminal charges against former FBI director James Comey, another Trump rival."

A grand jury declined to indict Letitia James after federal prosecutors re-presented a mortgage fraud case. The decision came soon after a judge found a similar federal mortgage fraud case unlawful. James was charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution related to a 2020 Norfolk, Virginia mortgage. Prosecutors allege she received a lower rate by indicating the property would be a second home, saving about $18,933 over the loan. A niece reportedly told a grand jury she did not pay rent. James denies wrongdoing and challenges the prosecutor's appointment.

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