A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia has indicted New York State Attorney General Letitia James on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan announced Thursday.

The indictment charges James with violations of two federal statutes: Bank Fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1344 and False Statements to a Financial Institution under 18 U.S.C. § 1014.

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Details of the alleged conduct leading to the indictment have not yet been released publicly, but officials confirmed that the case was initiated following a grand jury investigation in Alexandria, Virginia.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the indictment was returned earlier this week and unsealed following Halligan’s formal announcement of the charges.

James, who has served as New York’s Attorney General since 2018, is expected to appear in federal court in Virginia in the coming days.

Letitia James responded to the indictment on her official social media account, calling the charges politically motivated and accusing President Donald Trump of “weaponizing” the justice system against her.

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“This is nothing more than a continuation of the President’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James wrote.

“He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General.”

Reminder…

Judge Arthur Engoron and Leticia James claimed Mar-a-Lago was worth between $18 million and $27.6 million.

Mar-a-Lago is worth close to a billion.

They scammed just to get Trump on fraud.

All while Leticia was committing mortgage fraud herself.

FAFO. pic.twitter.com/4gjQG3tued

— C3 (@C_3C_3) October 9, 2025

James, who gained national prominence for her civil fraud case against Trump and the Trump Organization, argued that the charges stem from political retribution.

“These charges are baseless, and the President’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” she said.

In her statement, James accused the administration of improperly interfering with the Department of Justice.

“The President’s actions are a grave violation of our constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties,” she said.

“His decision to fire a United States attorney who refused to bring charges against me and replace them with someone who is blindly loyal not to the law, but to the President, is antithetical to the bedrock principles of our country.”

James called on lawmakers from both parties to speak out against what she described as a “blatant perversion” of the justice system.

“This is the time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to speak out against this blatant perversion of our system of justice,” she said.

The New York attorney general also reaffirmed her commitment to ongoing litigation against the Trump Organization, which resulted in a civil court finding earlier this year that Trump, his company, and two of his sons were liable for fraud.

“We conducted a two-year investigation based on the facts and evidence, not politics,” James said.

“Judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company, and his two sons are liable for fraud.”

In closing, James invoked her faith and expressed confidence that she would overcome the charges.

“I’m a proud woman of faith, and I know that faith and fear cannot share the same space,” she said. “And so today, I’m not fearful. I’m fearless. And as my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper.”

James concluded by pledging to continue her duties as attorney general despite the indictment.

“We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights, and I will continue to do my job,” she said.

WATCH:

This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.

I am not fearful — I am fearless.

We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights. pic.twitter.com/X9U0EsHuGM

— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) October 9, 2025

 

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