New York Lawyer Basic Letitia James was photographed Thursday exiting her Brooklyn brownstone for a federal arraignment on mortgage fraud prices in Virginia — the place her “fugitive” grandniece may also be going through a potential restraining order for threatening to “punch” a faculty official earlier this month.
James, 67, will seem on the Walter E. Hoffman US Courthouse in Norfolk at 11 a.m. Friday, after being indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 9 for financial institution fraud and making false claims to a monetary establishment — in a case that former prosecutors have stated might be troublesome to defend.
Two hours earlier than, her grandniece Nakia Thompson may also seem for a Friday listening to with an assistant principal at her child’s elementary faculty, who petitioned a Virginia choose for a protecting order after Thompson shouted that she would “punch” her within the “f–king face.”
The New York AG purchased a second house on Aug. 17, 2020, with a $109,600 mortgage that designated her because the “sole borrower to occupy and use the property.”
Nonetheless, federal prosecutors alleged the Norfolk house “was not occupied or used” by James and “was as a substitute used as a rental funding property”, which was occupied by Thompson.
That may save her almost $19,000 “over the lifetime of the mortgage,” based on the five-page indictment filed by US Lawyer Lindsey Halligan within the Japanese District of Virginia.
“Nobody is above the legislation. The costs as alleged on this case characterize intentional, felony acts and super breaches of the general public’s belief,” Halligan stated in an announcement on the time. “The info and the legislation on this case are clear, and we are going to proceed following them to make sure that justice is served.”
James had listed the residence as an “funding” property in state ethics filings till Might of this 12 months — one month after President Trump’s Federal Housing Finance Company Director William Pulte referred her to the Division of Justice for prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud in buying one other house in Norfolk in 2023.
The New York State monetary disclosures confirmed her netting between $1,000 and $5,000 in rental earnings from her Virginia properties since 2020, although the relative who resides on the house on the heart of the federal indictment testified to a grand jury earlier this 12 months that she’s by no means paid hire, The New York Occasions reported.
Neighbors on the identical avenue who spoke with The Put up final week stated they’ve by no means seen the state AG popping in for a go to.
James famously declared “nobody is above the legislation” when bringing what resulted in a $500 million civil judgment towards President Trump for inflating the worth of his actual property empire — however has declared the federal fraud case towards her “baseless.”
“That is nothing greater than a continuation of the president’s determined weaponization of our justice system. He’s forcing federal legislation enforcement companies to do his bidding, all as a result of I did my job because the New York State Lawyer Basic,” stated James in an announcement after the indictment was handed up.
“These prices are baseless, and the president’s personal public statements clarify that his solely purpose is political retribution at any price. The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of each events,” added James, who’s being represented by Democratic powerhouse legal professional Abbe Lowell.
Roger Keller, who had been serving as a Missouri-based prosecutor, might be showing within the Norfolk federal courtroom to characterize the US within the case.
Thompson, 36, who continues to be dwelling within the house named within the indictment, is at the moment a needed fugitive by North Carolina authorities with a slew of arrests that embrace assaults on law enforcement officials, based on court docket paperwork.
On Oct. 9, the identical day that her nice aunt James was indicted, Thompson was “upset and used profane language” on a cellphone name with assistant principal Marie Corridor after one in every of her kids acquired an “infraction referral” at their elementary faculty, based on an affidavit.
She later confirmed up on campus and commenced berating Corridor and utilizing “verbal threats,” the affidavit recounts, which resulted in class officers calling the police.
“Bitch, I acquired one thing for you,” she threatened. “I’m nonetheless gonna punch you within the f–king face, bald-headed bitch.”
A Norfolk choose has already granted Corridor a preliminary protecting order, barring Thompson from committing acts of violence or having contact with the assistant principal.
Thompson additionally acquired caught with James’ family members who stay within the different Norfolk property stealing roughly $2,000 value of merchandise from Macy’s and Dillard’s in Chesapeake, Va., in August 2019.
She spent simply six months in jail with a greater than five-year suspended sentence for the grand larceny.
Shamice Thompson-Hairston lives full-time within the different house with two daughters. Considered one of them, Cayla Thompson-Hairston, is a 21-year-old OnlyFans mannequin with a rap sheet as effectively.
In April 2024, Cayla Thompson-Hairston was charged with mendacity about her felony felony document when she tried to purchase a gun in Suffolk, Virginia, court docket information present.
James’ family members in each residences have been charged with a complete of eight felonies and three misdemeanors during the last 5 years — however their prices have both been downgraded or dropped each time.
