New York Lawyer Normal Letitia James has employed high-powered DC lawyer Abbe Lowell — who unsuccessfully defended Hunter Biden — to combat expenses that she dedicated mortgage fraud.
James was hit with the bombshell federal indictment in Virginia Thursday, accusing her of mendacity on types when she took out a mortgage for a house within the Previous Dominion State, netting her $19,000 in financial savings.
Lowell, a go-to legal professional for outstanding Democrats in authorized bother, issued a press release defending the Empire State’s high lawyer in opposition to the accusations, saying she “flatly and forcefully denies these expenses.”
“We’re deeply involved that this case is pushed by President Trump’s want for revenge,” he stated Thursday, referring to James’ civil fraud case in opposition to Trump.
The high-profile lawyer can also be repping embattled Federal Reserve governor Lisa Prepare dinner as she appeals her firing by the Trump administration, which claimed she additionally allegedly dedicated mortgage fraud.
Lowell is probably going most well-known for his protection of Biden, the previous first son, in his enjoyable and tax case.
Whereas Biden was convicted at a primary trial of illegally proudly owning a gun whereas hooked on medication — and pleaded responsible in a second case to committing tax evasion — former President Joe Biden pardoned his wayward son earlier than leaving workplace in December 2024.
And Lowell just lately defended former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, one other outstanding Democrat — at present in jail serving an 11-year sentence whereas he appeals his federal conviction.
Menendez was discovered responsible at trial in July 2024 of taking bribes, together with gold bars, in change for utilizing the facility of his workplace to serve the pursuits of rich businessmen and the international locations of Qatar and Egypt.
However Lowell’s current shedding monitor report isn’t a mirrored image on the standard of his work, fairly that he’s keen to tackle troublesome instances that aren’t more likely to succeed, former prosecutor Neama Rahmani informed The Put up.
“These instances had been losers regardless of who was defending them,” Rahmani stated Friday.
As a legal protection lawyer, particularly defending federal instances, “you’re anticipated to lose,” Rahmani stated. “Acquittals are the exception fairly than the rule.”
James’ case can also be more likely to be troublesome to win as a result of her assertion claiming on paperwork that her Virginia residence could be her main residence “appeared false on its face,” Rahmani stated.
“I believe this can be a very robust case to defend,” the lawyer stated.
“I’m not saying it ought to have been introduced or prosecuted or that this can be a good use of presidency assets,” Rahmani added, “however should you’re simply defending the case straight up on the deserves, it’s a false assertion, it’s financial institution fraud.”
James was hit with one rely of financial institution fraud and one rely of constructing false statements to a monetary establishment for which she faces as much as 60 years in jail and a wonderful of as much as $2 million if convicted.
Prosecutors declare she purchased a three-bedroom, one-bathroom Norfolk, Va. residence in August 2020 for roughly $137,000 and took a $109,600 mortgage for it, which barred her from renting it out.
On mortgage paperwork and associated types, she stated it could be a secondary residence, however on tax types she designated the house as a rental funding property that she made hundreds of {dollars} on, prosecutors alleged.
James is the second of Trump’s political enemies to be indicted within the span of some weeks.
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted final month for allegedly mendacity to Congress about his probe into the Trump marketing campaign’s ties to Russia.
Each James and Comey have stated they had been focused by the Division of Justice on the president’s bidding in retaliation for his or her investigations into him.
James received a $355 lawsuit in opposition to Trump when a New York decide discovered he inflated the worth of his actual property empire to enhance mortgage phrases for years.
However Trump efficiently appealed to have the large judgment dismissed.
On Thursday, James, a Democrat, stated the indictment in opposition to her was “nothing greater than a continuation of the president’s determined weaponization of our justice system.”
“He’s forcing federal regulation enforcement businesses to do his bidding, all as a result of I did my job because the New York State Lawyer Normal,” she stated.
Comey, who pleaded not responsible in court docket this week, stated after he was indicted that his “coronary heart is damaged for the Division of Justice.”
Comey’s lawyer is his longtime buddy Patrick Fitzgerald, a former Chicago US legal professional.
Fitzgerald stated he plans to hunt to have the indictment dismissed on the grounds of vindictive prosecution and for the alleged wrongful appointment of US Lawyer Lindsey Halligan — who mounted the instances in opposition to James and Comey.
Halligan is Trump’s former private lawyer. She was appointed to be the US legal professional for the Japanese District of Virginia final month after her predecessor, Erik Siebert, was ousted by Trump.
James is scheduled for her first court docket look within the case on Oct. 24.
Lowell didn’t return a request for remark Friday.
