Judge Throws Out New York AG Letitia James’ Federal Fraud Indictment

by Joy Dumandan

The federal fraud indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James was dismissed by a federal judge on Monday.

"The Attorney General's attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid," U.S. District Court Judge Cameron McGowan Currie wrote in a ruling, according to CNN.

President Donald Trump had picked his former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan to be the U.S. attorney in Eastern Virginia. After doing so, Halligan was able to secure an indictment in October from a grand jury after presenting the evidence.

Currie said that Halligan was never allowed to step into that role. She said the "120-day clock on interim appointments expired during the previous prosecutor's tenure and that the authority to appoint a replacement fell with the district's federal judges, not Attorney General Pam Bondi," according to The Hill.

New York Attorney General Letitia James after appearing In Federal Court. Smiling with the sun on her face — Letitia James after her initial arraignment outside a Virginia courthouse in October. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

NIKIA MONIQUE THOMPSON mugshot — Nakia Monique Thompson, in an undated mug shot, is the niece of James. (North Carolina Department Of Adult Correction)

The home at the center of a federal mortgage fraud casefiled against New York Attorney General Letitia James — The home is connected to a mortgage fraud charge recently filed against James. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Virginia home

The judge's order dropping the charges comes about five weeks after James was arraigned in Norfolk, VA, on felony bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. She entered not guilty pleas on both charges.

James could have faced up to 60 years in prison if convicted.

She had been under investigation since May over a 2023 mortgage, and came under scrutiny for allegedly allowing her grandniece Nakia Thompson to stay in her Norfolk, VA, home for five years—despite Thompson being wanted by authorities in North Carolina, according to the New York Post.

Thompson, who lived at the Virginia property with her three children, has been officially labeled an “absconder” by the North Carolina Department of Corrections.

Court records confirm she failed to complete her probation for previous misdemeanor convictions related to assault, battery, and trespassing.

Thompson had ranted on Facebook that the charges against her were "OLD AS HELL and fabricated."

"For all inquiring minds no Im not in trouble havent been in years at all. Very much a active mother to my children everyday, work everyday, and very much in college about to graduate with my B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice," she wrote.

James' history with Trump

James prosecuted a civil fraud case against Trump last year, which resulted in a $500 million fine. That fine was thrown out on appeal in August. But Trump was found liable for not disclosing his net worth on official documents that financially benefited him.

The charges against James came after Trump continued to publicly call for his enemies to be investigated and prosecuted in court.

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in September on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. He, too, had pleaded not guilty to making false statements. Comey's indictment was also thrown out by Currie on Monday.

John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, was also indicted over claims he mishandled classified information, and California Democrat Adam Schiff is being investigated for mortgage fraud, a charge he has denied. Both of those cases are moving forward at this time.

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