New York’s Attorney General Letitia James — the same official who once took on Donald Trump and won a $450 million civil fraud verdict — is now in the crosshairs of a federal prosecution. Standing before a judge in Norfolk, Virginia, she pleaded “Not guilty, judge, to both counts.”
The courtroom formality barely ended before the chants began outside: “Hey hey! Ho ho! Let Letitia James go!”
James, unwavering and fiery, took the courthouse steps as a platform. “This is not about me,” she declared to her supporters. “This is about all of us — about a justice system turned into a tool of revenge.”
Her words hit at the heart of the growing unease surrounding the case — a prosecution that many see as part of a pattern. The Trump administration, now back in power, has opened criminal cases against three of its most public critics: former FBI Director James Comey, ex-National Security Adviser John Bolton, and now James herself. All three deny any wrongdoing.
The charges against James stem from a modest property purchase in Norfolk in 2020 — worth around $137,000 — where prosecutors allege she misrepresented the home as a personal residence to secure a better mortgage rate. The government says that move saved her nearly $19,000 over the life of the loan. She faces two criminal counts: bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
Her legal team is already striking back, arguing the charges are not just flimsy but politically driven. They plan to challenge both the legitimacy of the prosecutor leading the case — a Trump appointee — and the substance of the indictment itself.
A hearing on those challenges is set for November 13 in Alexandria, Virginia. The trial date, for now, stands at January 26, 2026.
This isn’t the first collision between James and Trump’s orbit. Just last year, she secured a fraud judgment that shook Trump’s real estate empire. Though a state appeals court later voided the $454 million penalty, it upheld the finding that Trump had inflated his net worth to deceive lenders.
Behind the legal maneuvering lies a deeper political shadow. Critics point to a new wave of federal prosecutions targeting Trump’s adversaries, while polls show even a third of Republicans believe the justice system is being weaponized for payback.
But James, standing tall outside the courthouse, made it clear she won’t bend. “There’s no fear today,” she told the cheering crowd. “Justice will rain down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
