TL/DR –
New York Attorney General Letitia James was not indicted by federal grand jurors, marking a further setback for the government case after bank fraud charges against James were dismissed by a judge the previous week. James was initially accused of falsely claiming a house she bought in 2020 would be her second home when it was used as a rental property, thereby securing a more favourable interest rate. However, a grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, voted down an indictment, which is an extremely rare occurrence, with only six cases in the 2016 fiscal year not resulting in charges due to a grand jury voting down an indictment out of over 150,000 people investigated by federal prosecutors.
Federal Grand Jury Declines to Indict NY Attorney General
In a recent development, a federal grand jury has chosen not to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, with a U.S. official confirming the decision. This comes after a judge dismissed the Justice Department’s bank fraud charges against James last week.
This decision by the grand jury, based in Norfolk, Virginia, follows the dismissal of charges against James and former FBI Director James Comey due to improper appointment of top federal prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan. However, the judge offered the government a chance to re-charge them.
The refusal of a grand jury to indict is a noteworthy occurrence. Out of 150,000 people investigated by federal prosecutors in 2016, only six cases didn’t result in charges due to the grand jury voting down an indictment, according to Justice Department data.
Responding to this development, James expressed gratitude towards the grand jury, maintaining that the charges against her were baseless. Her attorney, Abbe Lowell, asserted that the case should never have existed and warned against the government’s continued prosecution efforts.
The initial charges against James, filed in October, accused her of bank fraud and issuing false statements to a financial institution. The government alleges that James falsely declared a property in Norfolk as a second home on mortgage documents, eventually renting it out and using it as an investment property.
Meanwhile, James has denied all allegations, suggesting that the Trump administration targeted her due to political reasons. Interestingly, in between President Trump’s terms, she charged him in civil court for alleged dishonesty regarding his real estate assets’ value.
In 2023, a judge held Mr. Trump, his family and his company responsible for repeatedly violating fraud law and imposed a hefty judgement against them. The financial penalties were later dismissed as “excessive” by an appeals court, but some non-monetary penalties remained.
The dispute involving James is further complicated by upheaval in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Top prosecutor Erik Siebert resigned amid concerns of being ousted for refusing to charge James. His successor, Lindsey Halligan, previously a Trump associate, assumed the role soon after.
Legal experts are now watching to see if the Justice Department will attempt to re-indict Comey and James, following Judge Cameron Currie’s dismissal of their indictments without prejudice. The matter is complicated by the statute of limitations for Comey’s alleged charges expiring.
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