Top Trump housing official issues new criminal referral for New York AG Letitia James
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency under President Trump, issued two new criminal referrals to the Justice Department alleging New York Attorney General Letitia James committed homeowners insurance fraud in Illinois and Florida.
- The referrals claim James may have defrauded Allstate and Universal Property Insurance based on applications for her properties in Virginia and Florida, citing social media posts by Trump legal adviser Mike Davis.
- James’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, condemned the referrals as part of a politically motivated "revenge campaign," accusing the Trump administration of abusing power after previous legal efforts against James failed.
- The new referrals relate to the same property involved in a prior federal case in Virginia, which was dismissed due to an invalid appointment of the interim US Attorney, and could lead to investigations in different federal districts.
- James was indicted in October 2025 on charges of false statements and bank fraud but pleaded not guilty; the case was dismissed, and these new referrals seek to revive legal action against her.
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