A Virginia federal prosecutor who opposed filing mortgage fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James allegedly forwarded investigative documents containing James’ personal information to her private email account, according to an email reviewed by CNN.
The prosecutor, Beth Yusi, was dismissed earlier this month, at least in part due to her handling of the sensitive material, according to individuals familiar with the matter who spoke to the outlet.
Yusi’s attorney Margaret Donovan told the outlet that the former prosecutor “has no record of any such email” and “has never used her personal email account for any portion of any investigation.”
“Ms. Yusi is a well-respected prosecutor, a leader among her peers, and a consummate professional with nearly two decades of experience,” Donovan said.
Sharing evidence from an active investigation is generally not illegal if it does not involve classified material, but it does constitute a violation of Department of Justice policy, CNN noted.
Before her dismissal, Yusi wrote an internal memo outlining prosecutors’ conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to pursue charges against James. Her firing prompted swift criticism from those alleging that the Justice Department has been acting under pressure from the White House to target former President Donald Trump’s political opponents.
CNN previously reported that U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who oversees the Virginia office, suspected that some attorneys were leaking “unauthorized” information to the media.
Halligan personally presented the case against James to the grand jury that ultimately handed down the indictment, the outlet reported.
A Department of Justice official told CNN that Halligan was never shown the internal memo outlining prosecutors’ reasoning for not pursuing charges against James. However, multiple sources familiar with the case said the memo was thoroughly reviewed by those involved in preparing the indictment before it was presented to a grand jury.
ames appeared in federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday morning for her arraignment on a two-count indictment related to statements she allegedly made about a second home she purchased in 2020.
James, a longtime critic of Trump who vowed to go after him before she ever took office, pleaded not guilty to two counts over whether she misled a bank to get more favorable mortgage terms. Her trial is set for January 26, 2026.
The charges against James come amid a series of prosecutions involving prominent political figures, including some viewed as opponents of the president — actions that have reportedly drawn objections from several career prosecutors, some of whom have since been dismissed or resigned, Fox News reported.
James faces two federal charges: one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years behind bars.
The indictment centers on James’s 2020 purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia. Prosecutors allege that she misrepresented details about the property to a bank to secure more favorable loan terms.
“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James said in a statement after she was indicted.
“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” she added.
In September, Trump announced his intention to name Halligan as the district’s top prosecutor, replacing interim attorney Erik Siebert, who resigned amid pressure to move forward with indictments against both fired FBI Director James Comey and AG James.
Both the James and Comey cases have led to a series of resignations and dismissals among career officials in the Eastern District of Virginia, including in the Norfolk office, where two assistant U.S. attorneys were reportedly fired after expressing opposition to pursuing charges against James.
