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36m ago

Letitia James Defiant at First Appearance Since Federal Indictment

Legal skepticism and a 22-attorney-general rebuke have intensified questions over the politically charged Virginia case.

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FILE - New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference outside Manhattan federal court, Feb. 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, pictured at the White House on March 6, is looking to move around top prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia according to CNN.
New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference in New York City on August 3, 2021.

Overview

  • A federal grand jury in Virginia charged the New York attorney general with bank fraud and making false statements tied to a 2020 Norfolk property that prosecutors say she misrepresented as a second home, yielding roughly $18,000 in loan-term savings.
  • James made her first public appearance since the charges at a New York City rally for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, telling supporters, "I will not bow. I will not break. I will not bend," and declaring, "I fear no man."
  • The case follows reported resistance from career prosecutors and the resignation of Eastern District of Virginia U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert before Trump-nominated Lindsey Halligan secured the indictment.
  • Legal scholars and former prosecutors questioned the strength and rarity of a standalone occupancy-related mortgage case, saying intent is hard to prove and such prosecutions are uncommon.
  • A coalition of 22 state attorneys general condemned the prosecution as retaliatory, and James is scheduled for her initial federal court appearance on Oct. 24 in Norfolk.