New York Attorney General Letitia James 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 President Donald Trump who vowed to go after him before she ever took office, pleaded not guilty on Friday to two counts over whether she misled a bank to get more favorable mortgage terms.
Appearing before Judge Jamar Walker of Federal District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, the New York attorney general said, “Not guilty, judge, to both counts.”
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.
James’s indictment, along with that of former FBI Director James Comey, was presented to a grand jury by former White House aide Lindsey Halligan, whom President Donald Trump appointed last month as acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
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 Comey and 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.
Court filings show that Halligan was joined in the prosecution by Missouri-based federal prosecutor Roger Keller. U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker, a Biden appointee, is overseeing the case.
James is represented by defense attorney Abbe Lowell, who told the court that the legal team has also retained Andrew Bosse, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Norfolk who previously led the office’s criminal division.
The criminal case against James follows her successful civil fraud lawsuit against President Trump last year.
Following her arraignment, James is expected to file a motion to dismiss the case on grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution — a strategy similar to that pursued by Comey’s legal team in Alexandria earlier this week.
James on Thursday angered the administration and law enforcement-minded Americans when she issued an open call asking for photos and videos of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to upload to a new “portal to review federal immigration enforcement in New York.”
The call followed a federal immigration raid on Canal Street in New York City that netted the arrest of nine illegal aliens with criminal histories.
“We’re launching a portal to review federal immigration enforcement in New York after yesterday’s ICE raid on Canal Street,” James wrote on the X platform.
“New Yorkers who were present should submit videos or photos, and we will review and investigate any violations of the law,” she added.
