Category: mortgage fraud
Second grand jury declines to indict Letitia James
A federal grand jury refused to indict Letitia James on mortgage charges after the Dept. of Justice refiled the case against the New York attorney general.
James had been accused of making false statements on mortgage documents in order to obtain favorable financial terms and had the charges dismissed from a different grand jury.
‘Everyone is trying to MAKE NEW YORK GREAT AGAIN, and it can never be done with this wacky crook in office.’
Prosecutors said James claimed a home purchased in 2020 to be a second home instead of an investment property, which would have allowed her to save about $19,000 in interest payments. She has denied all wrongdoing.
The prior charges were dismissed on the basis that the administration had unlawfully appointed the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.
“This unprecedented rejection makes even clearer that this case should never have seen the light of day,” said Abbe Lowell, an attorney representing James.
“Career prosecutors who knew better refused to bring it, and now two different grand juries in two different cities have refused to allow these baseless charges to be brought,” he added. “Any further attempt to revive these discredited charges would be a mockery of our system of justice.
President Donald Trump has called for James to resign over the allegations.
“Letitia James, a totally corrupt politician, should resign from her position as New York State Attorney General, IMMEDIATELY,” he wrote on social media. “Everyone is trying to MAKE NEW YORK GREAT AGAIN, and it can never be done with this wacky crook in office.”
RELATED: Letitia James gives unhinged rant after court hearing for bank fraud allegations
James successfully convicted the president of lying about the values of his real estate holdings in order to secure favorable bank terms. He was ordered to pay nearly half a billion dollars in the civil fraud judgment, but the fine was struck down by a New York state appeals court in August.
The attorney general’s office signaled that it intended to file an appeal in the case.
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Eric Swalwell sues Trump administration over alleged privacy violations
Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California is suing a Trump administration official for allegedly violating privacy rights in order to seek prosecution of the president’s political enemies.
Swalwell, who is running for the governorship of California, filed a 19-page federal civil lawsuit against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte.
Swalwell alleged in his lawsuit that the charges against him were filed ‘at a critical juncture in his career.’
The housing official referred Swalwell to the Department of Justice for alleged mortgage and tax fraud.
“Pulte’s brazen practice of obtaining confidential mortgage records from Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac and then using them as a basis for referring individual homeowners to DOJ for prosecution is unprecedented and unlawful,” the lawsuit alleged.
Swalwell also posted a statement on social media.
“Today I have filed a civil lawsuit against FHA director Bill Pulte for violating the Privacy Act and First Amendment,” he wrote.
“Director Pulte has combed through private records of political opponents. To silence them,” Swalwell added. “There’s a reason the First Amendment — the freedom of speech — comes before all others.”
Pulte was instrumental in the charges that were brought up against New York Attorney General Letitia James. Those charges were dismissed by a federal judge on Monday, but the Trump administration vowed to appeal.
Swalwell alleged in his lawsuit that the charges against him were filed “at a critical juncture in his career: the very moment when he had planned to announce his campaign for Governor of California.”
Pulte also helped bring criminal referrals against Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff (Calif.), as well as Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook.
CBS News said the Federal Housing Finance Agency did not respond to a request for a comment.
Swalwell added a quote from novelist George Orwell: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
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Eric Swalwell Claims With Straight Face He ‘Doesn’t Wake Up Every Day’ To Fight Trump
‘He just happens to get in the way’
