The director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has again referred New York Attorney General Letitia James to the U.S. Department of Justice for criminal prosecution, proffering allegations that New York’s top cop may have falsified information on her homeowner’s insurance application. 

The FHFA Director William Pulte, who oversees Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, asked U.S. Attorneys in Florida and Illinois on Wednesday to “authenticate and investigate” the information, according to two letters reviewed by Just the News. 

Pulte cites a series of social media posts by attorney and President of The Article III Project, Mike Davis, who explained how he believes the evidence laid out in previously published court documents demonstrate that James misled her home insurer when applying for coverage. 

James allegedly classified a home in Norfolk, Virginia as her principal residence 

This is the second time Pulte has turned over criminal referrals to the Justice Department targeting James for alleged wrongdoing related to her homeownership.

The New York Attorney General’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Just the News. 

Last April, Pulte sent a similar letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche alleging James “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government-backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms.” Among the allegations, Pulte said James classified a home in Norfolk, Virginia as a principal residence even though, as a New York State officer, she was required to maintain residency in the state. 

Later that year, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia indicted James, charging her with bank fraud and false statements to a financial institution. However, the charges were later dismissed after a judge ruled that the prosecutor, Lindsay Halligan, was not lawfully appointed, and the merits of the case were not reached. The grand jury declined to issue a new indictment after the disqualification, Just the News previously reported. 

In response to those earlier allegations, James accused President Trump and his administration of “weaponizing the justice system” and called the charges “baseless.” 

The new allegations from Pulte cite court exhibits attached to filings as part of this earlier legal action against James. 

The allegedly false representations made by James

In a letter to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jason Quinones, Pulte points to a court exhibit, an application for home insurance submitted to Ft. Lauderdale-based Universal Property Insurance, which appears to show that James claimed her Norfolk, Virginia home would be unoccupied for five months out of the year.

However, James’ niece reportedly told the grand jury that she was living rent-free in the home. The niece Nakia Thompson lived there for five years while she was wanted in North Carolina for failing to complete her probation, The New York Post reported.

“[It] appears Ms. James made false representations that her property would be unoccupied five months out of the year,” Pulte wrote. “According to the post, this was false. The house was, in fact, occupied year-round by her niece.” 

In a separate letter to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Pulte says that one court document shows that James appears to have claimed to Allstate, which is based in that state, that her Virginia home would only be occupied by one individual, when public reporting indicates her niece lived there with three children. 

“[It] appears Ms. James made representations that the house would be occupied by a single adult, with no children. Instead, according to the post, she knew the house was actually occupied by four people - three children and her niece,” Pulte wrote to U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros. 

“As such, it appears Ms. James may have defrauded the Illinois-based insurance company. We kindly request you authenticate and investigate this matter, if you deem appropriate,” Pulte added.

James is one of the most prominent Trump nemeses to face potential federal investigation. She has sued him several times to oppose his policies as president and sued him in 2022 as a private citizen for a $464 million civil fraud judgment involving his company, alleging he inflated his assets. 

James joins Schiff, Swallwell in group whose anti-Trump lawfare and obstructionism may have backfired 

James is not the only Democratic politician and Trump-critic who has faced criminal referrals from Pulte. 

Last July, Pulte sent a criminal referral targeting Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., alleging the senator may have violated several statutes—including government wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, and false statements to a financial institution—by claiming two homes, one in Maryland and the other in California, as primary residences. 

Just the News had previously reported that then-Congressman Schiff had repeatedly declared in mortgage and election filings that both of his homes were his "principal residence." But, according to the federally-backed lender Freddie Mac, Americans are only allowed to claim just one home as a primary residence, the one where they live for a majority of the year. 

Unlike James, Schiff was never charged with any violations. 

Last November, Pulte also referred California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell to the Justice Department for investigation over allegations of mortgage and tax fraud related to a Washington, D.C., home. The referral centers on allegations that Swalwell received several million dollars worth of loans and refinancing by declaring his primary residence as Washington, D.C., instead of California, and suggests the department probe whether the congressman committed mortgage fraud, state and local tax fraud, and insurance fraud, Just the News reported. 

Swalwell sued Pulte over the referral, accusing him of violating privacy laws and the First Amendment in order to refer him to the Justice Department, but later dropped the suit. 

As Swalwell runs for governor in California, a fellow Democratic candidate, billionaire Tom Steyer, has sought to use the allegations to challenge Swalwell’s candidacy. Steyer has argued that Swalwell doesn't live in the state he wants to run and petitioned the California Secretary of State to enforce that state's residency requirements in the gubernatorial race.