Grand Jury Declines to Indict New York Attorney General Letitia James

A federal grand jury in Virginia has declined to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James on mortgage fraud charges. This decision comes less than two weeks after a judge dismissed a prior indictment, citing the unlawful appointment of the prosecutor who brought the case.

The initial charges alleged that James misrepresented a Norfolk, Virginia, property as a second residence to obtain favorable loan terms, though she later rented it out. James has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The original indictment was dismissed on November 24, 2025, after U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that Lindsey Halligan, the acting U.S. attorney who presented the case, was unlawfully appointed. Halligan, a former personal attorney to President Donald Trump with no prior prosecutorial experience, was appointed after her predecessor was removed for resisting pressure to prosecute James and former FBI Director James Comey.

Following the dismissal, the Justice Department sought a new indictment against James, presenting the case to a grand jury in Norfolk with different prosecutors. However, the grand jury declined to indict her.

The Justice Department has not commented on the grand jury's decision. The failure to secure an indictment does not preclude prosecutors from attempting to do so again in the future.

This case is part of a broader pattern of legal actions against individuals perceived as political adversaries of President Trump. Both James and Comey have faced federal charges recently, with their indictments dismissed due to issues related to the appointments of the prosecutors involved.