A federal grand jury has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James, the second of President Donald Trump’s political enemies to face criminal charges. The indictment comes after former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on Sept. 25.
James was charged in the Eastern District of Virginia, the same court where Comey was indicted last month on charges of lying to Congress. Comey pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing on Wednesday.
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The case was presented to a grand jury by Acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, whom Trump appointed after forcing out her predecessor when he declined to prosecute Comey, and James was charged with a count of bank fraud.
Background
James and Trump have been known adversaries for the past several years. In 2022, James filed a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization. She alleged in her investigation that the organization engaged in financial fraud for inflating the value of its properties.
In February 2024, a judge ordered Trump to pay $354.8 million in penalties after finding Trump and his companies liable for fraud. That number later accrued to a more than $464 million judgment when including interest.
Trump appealed the decision, and in August 2025, a New York appeals court upheld a lower court’s finding that Trump committed fraud, but they overturned the fine, with one judge viewing it as “excessive.” James has announced plans to appeal that ruling.
Mortgage fraud?
A 2023 mortgage that James and her niece were involved in has been the focus of recent attacks by the Trump administration.
A probe initiated by Attorney General Pam Bondi in August to investigate the possibility of mortgage fraud appears to center on allegations of false statements on loan applications. As of last month, it was unclear if the DOJ had sufficient evidence in the case, according to federal law enforcement officials who spoke to NBC News.
Response
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, responded to the charges on X, saying that the indictment “is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable.”
New Yorkers know @NewYorkStateAG James for her integrity, her independence, and her relentless fight for justice.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 9, 2025
What we're seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable.
Republicans are also responding to the news, with New York Rep. Elise Stefanik posting on X about the charges, saying, “No one is above the law and that includes NY’s criminal and failed attorney general Tish James – the most corrupt AG in the nation.”
