New York Legal professional Common Letitia James, showing in a federal courtroom in Norfolk, Virginia, pleaded not responsible Friday to prices of alleged mortgage fraud, after she was indicted earlier this month by President Donald Trump’s handpicked U.S. legal professional.
James pleaded not responsible to at least one rely of financial institution fraud and one rely of creating false statements to a monetary establishment.
“Not responsible, decide, to each counts,” James stated, coming into the plea herself.
U.S. District Decide Jamar Walker set an preliminary trial date for Jan. 26, to which each the federal government and the protection agreed.
The trial is predicted to take “no extra” than two weeks, stated authorities attorneys, who estimated they are going to name between 8 to 10 witnesses.
James was launched on private recognizance following the conclusion of the listening to.
Interim U.S. Legal professional Lindsey Halligan — who Trump appointed simply days after calling on the his legal professional normal to act “NOW!!!” to prosecute James and different political enemies — secured the indictment in opposition to James on Oct. 9. James efficiently introduced a civil fraud case in opposition to Trump final 12 months and presently leads a number of lawsuits difficult his administration’s insurance policies.
New York Legal professional Common Letitia James speaks to the media, after she pleaded not responsible to prices that she defrauded her mortgage lender, exterior the U.S. District Courtroom for the Japanese District of Virginia, in Norfolk, Va., Oct. 24, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Halligan was named U.S. legal professional by Trump after Trump ousted her predecessor, Erik Siebert, who sources say had expressed doubts internally about bringing instances in opposition to James and former FBI Director James Comey.
After attorneys representing James filed a movement difficult Halligan’s appointment as illegal, Decide Walker ordered that the movement be consolidated with the already ongoing effort to disqualify her within the case against Comey, who was indicted final month on prices of creating false statements to Congress, to which he has pleaded not responsible.
Each James’ attorneys and the Justice Division supported the concept of consolidating the challenges, which can be thought of by an out-of-district decide already appointed this week.
James, talking exterior the courthouse following her arraignment, stated the justice system beneath President Trump has been “used as a software of revenge” and is nothing however a “car of retribution.”
“I need to thanks in your help,” James stated. “However this isn’t about me. Sure, that is about all of us. Yeah. And about our justice system, which has been weaponized. Towards a justice system, which has been a software been used as a software of revenge.”
“However my religion is robust. And my religion is, I’ve this perception within the justice system, within the rule of regulation,” James stated.
Decide Walker, through the listening to, briefly mentioned a movement from James’ attorneys ordering Halligan to make no extra extrajudicial disclosures to the media following revelations that she despatched Sign messages to a reporter about James’ case earlier this week.
Decide Walker famous there was no request to sanction Halligan for the messages, and Roger Keller, the DOJ prosecutor, stated that if a requirement was positioned on the federal government to maintain a log of Halligan’s discussions with the media then an identical requirement must be product of James given her statements to the media.
James’ legal professional Abbe Lowell argued there was a serious distinction between James voicing public statements beneath her First Modification rights and Halligan having discussions a couple of case with a reporter over an encrypted software with a deletion schedule.
Decide Walker set a deadline of Nov. 1 for James to make her first submitting on her declare of vindictive prosecution.
The fees James faces accuse her of committing mortgage fraud associated to a house she bought in 2020.
In line with the indictment, James falsely described the property as a second dwelling to get an advantageous mortgage charge, however used it as an “funding property,” rented to a household of three. The indictment alleged James collected hundreds of {dollars} in hire and would have saved $17,837 over the lifetime of the mortgage versus a mortgage at a better charge.
“Nobody is above the regulation. The fees as alleged on this case characterize intentional, felony acts and super breaches of the general public’s belief,” Halligan stated in a press release saying the costs. “The information and the regulation on this case are clear, and we are going to proceed following them to make sure that justice is served.”
However in an inner memo to Siebert in September, prosecutors stated James bought the house in Norfolk, Virginia, for her great-niece and instantly allowed her and her youngsters to start residing in the home rent-free, sources told ABC News. Prosecutors met with James’ niece, who said that she had by no means signed a lease, had by no means paid hire for the house, and that James had typically despatched her cash to cowl a few of the bills, the memo concluded, in keeping with sources accustomed to its contents.
James’ indictment on Oct. 9 got here between the indictments of Comey and former Trump nationwide safety adviser John Bolton amid what critics name Trump’s campaign of retribution in opposition to his perceived political foes.
Vice President JD Vance has stated any such prosecutions are “pushed by regulation and never by politics.”
If convicted, James faces a most of as much as 30 years in jail per rely, as much as a $1 million high-quality on every rely, and forfeiture of the property.
