Overview

• A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia charged the New York attorney general with bank fraud and making false statements tied to a 2020 mortgage for a Norfolk, Virginia property.
• Prosecutors allege she obtained a better rate by labeling the home a second residence while renting it out, estimating savings of roughly $17,800 to $19,000 over the life of the loan; she calls the charges baseless.
• At Manhattan’s United Palace, she told thousands of supporters, “I will not bow” and “I fear no man,” as she headlined a get-out-the-vote rally for mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.
• The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan following the departure of career U.S. attorney Erik Siebert, and Democrats, including a coalition of 22 state attorneys general, condemned the case as political retribution.
• James is scheduled to make her initial federal court appearance on Oct. 24, and if convicted of the felony counts she faces statutory prison and fine exposure and would automatically relinquish her office under New York law.