New York Attorney General Letitia James listed a residence in Virginia—roughly 300 miles from her office in Manhattan—as her main home in official paperwork, The NY Post reports. However, locals said Wednesday that they’ve never seen her around the neighborhood.
The modest single-family house, which has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, is currently occupied by a woman and her daughter who, according to neighbors, moved in only a few months ago.
A longtime resident who’s lived nearby for nearly two decades said the house had previously been inhabited by a married couple for around four years before the current occupants arrived.
“I’ve only met [the new resident] like maybe two or three times. She seemed really nice,” the neighbor said of the current resident. “The last time I saw her was, like, maybe a week or so ago and she was just outside smoking a cigarette and we were talking about her grandkids,” she added.
“She probably moved in a little over three months ago,” the neighbor continued. “It’s definitely not a year.”
This 1,450-square-foot home is now at the center of a federal criminal complaint, which accuses James of submitting false information in order to get a more favorable mortgage when she and her niece bought the property in 2023.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte laid out these allegations in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, citing possible manipulation of residency declarations to secure loan benefits.
The referral also accuses James of misrepresenting the size of a Brooklyn property she owns. While she claimed it had four units—which could qualify her for better loan terms—records from the NYC Department of Buildings show five.
“Ms. James was the sitting Attorney General of New York and is required by law to have her primary residence in the state of New York — even though her mortgage applications list her intent to have the Norfolk, VA, property as her primary home,” the letter stated.
“It appears Ms. James’ property and mortgage-related misrepresentations may have continued to her recent 2023 Norfolk, VA property purchase in order to secure a lower interest rate and more favorable loan terms,” Pulte wrote.
Pulte outlined several potential criminal charges that could arise from the matter, including bank fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, and making false statements to a lender.
James’ office responded on Wednesday by clarifying that she co-purchased the Virginia home with her niece. “Her niece lives in the home as a primary residence and the AG has been clear that she is not using the Virginia home as her primary residence, because she lives in New York,” the statement said.
The response also accused the Trump administration of politicizing the issue. “Donald Trump’s weaponization of the federal government continues to careen out of control – and now they are using cherry-picked information to attack the Attorney General. We will have more to share on these political attacks, but the AG and our office remain focused on protecting New Yorkers every single day.”
James declined to speak with reporters outside her home in Brooklyn on Wednesday morning.
When asked about the referral on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” Bondi confirmed her office had just received it. “We haven’t looked at it, of course we’ll be reviewing it. You just told me more than I’ve heard about it so far,” she told host Bill Hemmer.
Near the Norfolk property, one neighbor said his grandmother had lived in the neighborhood his entire life and that he had never once seen James.
Back in 2019, James famously declared that “no one is above the law” while accusing President Trump of artificially inflating his asset values for financial advantage. Now, she finds herself facing scrutiny over her own dealings in both Brooklyn and Virginia.
According to legal records, James granted power of attorney to Shamice Thompson-Hairston to authorize the August 17, 2023, purchase of the Norfolk home. The pair secured a $219,780 mortgage for the transaction.
The document was signed in the presence of First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy and a New York state secretary and was officially notarized.
Pulte’s referral also casts doubt on whether James was truthful about the size of her Brooklyn brownstone.
The Department of Buildings certificate of occupancy lists five separate units in the structure, but James claimed on her deed and mortgage that it only had four.
This distinction is important because properties with five or more units are typically ineligible for residential loans under federal guidelines—meaning she may have received better financing by claiming only four.
Responding to those claims, James’ office stated, “The Attorney General has been clear in her financial filings that this is a 4 unit, owner-occupied building. The previous Certificate of Occupancy from January 2001 that lists it as a 5 unit building was filed by the previous owner before the Attorney General owned the home.”
During an interview on MSNBC’s “José Díaz-Balart Reports” Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “It’s up to the investigative bodies to do an unbiased investigation,” calling James “a longtime friend” and extending his well-wishes.
Pressed on whether politics could be driving the investigation, Adams said James would need to speak to that herself, though he added that both Trump and Biden had acknowledged politicization in the Justice Department.
“It’s imperative that our criminal justice agencies do what’s right,” he said.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is also a Democratic mayoral contender, had sharper words regarding the referral’s motive.
“Letitia James has spent her career standing up to powerful interests and fighting for everyday New Yorkers. Now she’s being targeted by a president who abuses the power of the federal government to go after his enemies,” she told The Post.
Republican critics, meanwhile, relished the development, pointing out the irony given James’ past rhetoric.
Michael Henry, who ran against James in 2022 as the GOP nominee for attorney general, issued a statement turning her own words back on her.
“No one is above the law. James has not denied the legitimacy of the documents. It should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law,” said Henry, who previously worked in the mortgage field before becoming a lawyer.
“There are clearly some issues here.”
Henry added that, at the very least, “there was something miscommunicated on her behalf numerous times,” and emphasized that as a lawyer—let alone the state’s top legal officer—James should have reviewed the property paperwork carefully, even if someone else signed on her behalf.
He called the situation “certainly ironic” in light of James’ high-profile legal battle with Trump over his business dealings.
As Merrick Garland and Alvin Bragg so succinctly stated, no WHITE Republican male is above the law! Clearly, Letitia James does not fall under that category. You privileged white racists aught to leave the African American female AG alone already.
It seems like certain colored skin AG or Prosecutors have their own dark secrets hidden behind their natural facade: Fanni Willis, Letitia James! I wonder what the mayor of Chicago has hidden.
They should drop the mortgage related charges, acquiesce that she’s a resident of VA. Then, fire her as AG for violating the requirement of that position to be a NY resident.