New York Attorney General Letitia James has been criminally indicted on federal charges by a grand jury. James, who led a civil fraud investigation against Trump in 2023, was indicted on charges of bank fraud in the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, according to court documents. Prosecutors accuse James of alleged bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution regarding a mortgage loan for a house in Norfolk, Virginia, the documents state. In a statement, James accused the president – who recently publicly pressured prosecutors to file criminal charges against her – of a “desperate weaponization of our justice system”.”He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State attorney general,” she said. “These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost.”The US prosecutor assigned to the case, Lindsey Halligan, meanwhile, said the case proved that “no one is above the law”. “The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” she said. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”Trump appointed Halligan, his former personal attorney, to oversee the case after another US prosecutor, Erik Siebert, resigned. Siebert was reportedly ousted after he told the justice department he had not found sufficient evidence to charge James.James’ first court appearance is scheduled for 24 October in Norfolk.The federal government alleges James bought a three-bedroom home in Norfolk using a mortgage loan that required her to use the property as her secondary residence and did not allow for shared ownership or “timesharing” of the home. The indictment claims the property “was not occupied or us …
