Trump Official Refers NY Attorney General Letitia James for Alleged Insurance Fraud in Virginia Properties

A Trump administration official has made new criminal referrals against New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging possible homeowner’s insurance fraud related to two properties in Norfolk, Virginia. Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), sent letters on Wednesday to federal prosecutors in Miami and Chicago, suggesting that James may have falsified information on insurance applications submitted to Universal Property Insurance and Allstate. The referrals come months after multiple unsuccessful attempts by the Justice Department to prosecute James on mortgage-related charges.

According to the referrals obtained by NBC News and CBS News, Pulte alleged that James made false representations regarding the occupancy of the two Norfolk homes. One referral to U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones in the Southern District of Florida stated that James claimed a property would be unoccupied for five months a year, while it was actually occupied year-round by her niece. The other referral to U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros in the Northern District of Illinois indicated that James represented a house as being occupied by a single adult with no children, but it was reportedly occupied by four people, including three children and her niece.

James’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, condemned the referrals as politically motivated. Lowell accused the Trump administration of abusing its power to pursue a vendetta against James by repeatedly refiling baseless allegations. “These desperate tactics will fail — just as every previous attempt has failed — and exposes an Administration that has abandoned its responsibility to the American people in favor of petty political payback,” Lowell said in a statement. The Justice Department has not commented on the new referrals.

This latest development follows a series of legal actions against James, a prominent critic of former President Donald Trump. Last fall, James was charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution related to a Virginia property, but those charges were dismissed after a federal judge ruled that the interim U.S. attorney who brought the case was unlawfully appointed. Subsequent grand juries declined to re-indict her. James has also been involved in civil litigation against Trump and the Trump Organization, which resulted in a $464 million fraud penalty that was later overturned on appeal. The ongoing investigations and legal battles highlight the contentious relationship between James and Trump’s administration.