More evidence of potential mortgage fraud involving New York Attorney General Letitia James is emerging—this time tied to the foreclosure purchase of a single-family home in Martinsville, Virginia.
The acquisition involved the purchase of a foreclosing property in 2008, with Letitia being the buyer alongside Johnsie Finney and Philip Finney. At the time, James was working as a New York City Councilwoman.
Ironically, it was the Finneys whose mortgage was being foreclosed, while James’s first name was apparently misspelled as “Letitua,” in a likely attempt to throw off prying eyes.
According to documents obtained by Joel Gilbert, “Letitua” does not appear on the final deed, the “Substitute Trustee’s Deed” created in January 2009 after the foreclosure, only the Finneys.
One theory suggests that the Finneys, potentially well-known to James or even close friends, neighbors, or relatives, invited the then-New York City Councilwoman to buy back the property from the bank.
Additionally, James does not appear on any other deed, in violation of Virginia’s law that requires all purchasers to appear on the new deed unless a transfer has taken place. However, no record shows that James sold her stake in the property to the Finneys.
If she contributed toward the purchase, how did she report that transaction? Similarly, if the Finneys had to reimburse James for the cost of the purchase, that transaction should be open for scrutiny. For years, Trump was persecuted in New York for allegedly improperly categorizing the “hush money” payments as legal fees. Thus, the same standard should be applied, and an investigation conducted to uncover the facts of the transaction, if any.
Similarly, James was obligated by the NYC Campaign Finance Board Rules and New York State Public Officers Law Article 4 to disclose assets or beneficial interest in an asset, of which failure constitutes a violation of campaign finance reporting obligations and a false filing. James also never disclosed the property in her 2013 and 2017 campaign reports.
Coincidentally, James was slapped with a $5,705 fine for various disclosure violations, including failing to file pre-election disclosure statements, taking contributions from unregistered political committees, and accepting over-the-limit contributions.
Did James deliberately fail to make the necessary disclosures to avoid perjuring herself? Seemingly, if the property disclosure was missing alongside others, it could likely have been considered an accidental oversight instead of deliberate concealment, thus likely to attract a lesser punishment.
Nonetheless, if James financed the property and failed to report the purchase, she could face liability under federal wire fraud statutes (18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343), Virginia laws on false pretenses (VA Code § 18.2-178), as well as potential ethics violations for a public official, Gilbert warns.
Meanwhile, the self-declared transparency advocate has a history of failing to make obligatory disclosures for a public official. In 2011, she also failed to disclose the rental income of her Brooklyn property.
She was recently referred to the DOJ for alleged mortgage fraud by allegedly declaring her five-unit property as a four-unit home to qualify for cheaper mortgage obtain better rates.
She also listed her Virginia home as her primary residence while serving as New York’s Attorney General, even though she was required to choose a residence within the state.
She also allegedly listed her father as a co-signer when buying another property, but claimed they were “husband and wife.”
The Goose Girl is cooked and ready to serve !!!
Take her down, take her all the way down!