On de-fence: New York Attorney General Letitia James faces new legal problem
Letitia James, the far-left attorney general in New York who campaigned for office on a promise to “get” President Donald Trump when there were no allegations available, now is in legal jeopardy again.
It’s because of the height of a fence at a five-unit apartment structure she owns in Brooklyn.
It’s the same address that triggered a federal mortgage fraud investigation into her, as she obtained an interest rate on a mortgage for the property that was based on it having four units, when it actually has five, according to building records.
The Washington Examiner said James could face $500 in fines because the fence at the brownstone is five feet, five inches tall, beyond the 48-inch limit.
The New York Department of Buildings served James with a violation notice recently that deemed her front fence exceeded height limitations.
It was James who, after campaigning to “get” Trump, came up with a claim that his business operations committed fraud. She worked with a judge, Arthur Engoron, on the case, which alleged that there was fraud even though the business entities that supposedly were victimized said their loans were repaid on time and in full, and they would like to do more business with Trump.
Despite the lack of evidence, the judge created a penalty for Trump and his businesses of almost half a billion dollars, a decision that subsequently was tossed by an appeals court ruling that said it violated the U.S. Constitution.
In James’ latest legal woes, she’ll face a hearing in October, and if found guilty could be ordered to pay $500 in fines. Alternatively, the problem could be “cured” by the time the hearing is held, when the case could be then dropped.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte referred James to the DOJ for alleged mortgage fraud over her Brooklyn and Norfolk properties in April, alleging that James consistently listed her Brooklyn residence as a four-bedroom home instead of a five-bedroom home.
James is accused of fraud for misrepresenting her residences in order to obtain preferential mortgage loan treatments, including once when she allegedly characterized her father as a “spouse” and represented a five-apartment building she owns as having four apartments because that would give her a better interest rate.
Read my new article today on @GatewayPundit on NY AG Letitia James:
Exclusive: Why Letitia James Must Face Justicehttps://t.co/HnnvvfMwfB
— Joel Gilbert (@JoelSGilbert) September 15, 2025
In a column at the Gateway Pundit, author Joel Gilbert explained that James needs to be held accountable, “for the integrity of public office, for victims of any wrongdoing, and for public trust.”
He noted James herself “agrees.”
“After Donald Trump’s fraud conviction, on February 16, 2024, James released a statement: ‘When powerful people cheat to get better loans, it comes at the expense of honest and hardworking people.'”
The column explained that in 2011 James “obtained a US government HAMP loan by falsely claiming her apartment building had just 4 units. The HAMP loan was eligible only to owners with four or less apartment units. Letitia James likely also falsely claimed a financial hardship to qualify for the loan, as she was earning around $14,000 per month. With the HAMP loan, James was able to replace her 10% adjustable bank mortgage with a 2.7% government loan on the backs of American taxpayers.:”
He noted, “More recently, in 2021, James secured a $200,000 ‘Credit Line Mortgage’ with Citizens Bank by describing the same five-family commercial building as a ‘single-family dwelling.’ The result: she paid just $4,070 in closing costs instead of $20,000-$30,000 that a commercial borrower would have faced, and got lower interest rates.”
James’ case against Trump was one of a multitude of lawfare cases assembled by Democrats that apparently were intended to demolish him financially and destroy his chances to run for president again in 2024, which he ultimately did.
Most of the cases now have evaporated.
‘This is HUGE!’ Appeals court kills wild half-billion dollar penalty against President Trump