Letitia “Tish” James has long been a prominent name in New York politics as the first woman and first Black person elected as the state’s Attorney General. But lately, she’s made headlines not just for legal battles, but for looming legal trouble of her own.
On October 9, 2025, she was indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia on charges of bank fraud and making false statements related to a 2020 mortgage transaction. Prosecutors allege she misrepresented a Virginia property as her secondary residence in order to secure favorable loan terms—then rented it out, violating the rules tied to the “second-home” status. They claim this misrepresentation allowed James to save nearly $19,000 in mortgage costs.
The case has drawn sharp criticism and claims of political retaliation. James has d