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Bill Pulte issued two new criminal referrals against NY AG Letitia James after prior indictment was dismissed and two grand juries declined

On March 25, 2026, HUD Secretary and FHFA Director Bill Pulte issued two new criminal referrals to the DOJ targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging suspected homeowners insurance fraud tied to insurance applications in Florida and Illinois. The referrals were routed to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois — different venues from earlier referrals that produced an indictment a court dismissed and two successive grand jury declines. James's attorneys characterized the action as part of a continuing "revenge campaign" by officials "frustrated by repeated failures, where judges and grand juries have rejected their attempts."

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Washington, D.C.

Abuses documented

Actors

On March 25, 2026, HUD Secretary and FHFA Director Bill Pulte referred New York Attorney General Letitia James to the Department of Justice on two criminal referrals alleging suspected homeowners insurance fraud. Pulte claimed James had misrepresented the primary-residence status of properties on insurance applications tied to holdings in Florida and Illinois. The referrals were directed to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois — new venues chosen after an earlier prosecution campaign in Virginia collapsed. President Trump promoted the new referrals on Truth Social the same day.

The new referrals came after a prior DOJ prosecution campaign against James in the Eastern District of Virginia unraveled. That campaign produced an indictment on mortgage fraud charges in October 2025, alleging James falsely listed a Virginia home as a second residence rather than an investment property to obtain favorable loan terms. A federal court dismissed the indictment in November 2025 after ruling that the assigned U.S. Attorney, Lindsey Halligan, had been unlawfully appointed. Two successive grand juries in Virginia then declined to re-indict James on the same mortgage fraud charges. James's attorneys characterized the new insurance fraud referrals as part of a continuing "revenge campaign" by officials "frustrated by repeated failures, where judges and grand juries have rejected their attempts."

Why we recorded this

Criminal referrals direct federal investigative resources toward a target and impose legal costs even before any charge is filed. New York Attorney General Letitia James has multiple active lawsuits against the Trump administration; Bill Pulte, a political appointee with no prosecutorial background, has now issued multiple rounds of criminal referrals against her, each time routing them through different federal districts after courts and grand juries rejected the prior attempts. This archive records when executive officials repeatedly invoke prosecutorial machinery against a political adversary after it has already failed, documenting the use of the Justice Department as a tool of political attrition.

Sources

  1. Top Trump housing official issues new criminal referral for New York AG Letitia James — CNN investigative accessed July 27, 2026
  2. Top Trump Housing Official Tries, Again, to Bring a Criminal Case Against Letitia James — NOTUS investigative accessed July 27, 2026
  3. Letitia James targeted by Trump official seeking new DOJ prosecution of the New York attorney general — NBC News secondary accessed July 27, 2026
  4. Trump official refers New York AG Letitia James for prosecution after a previous case was dismissed — CBS News secondary accessed July 27, 2026

See also