Letitia James famously campaigned for the office of New York Attorney General on a platform of sticking it to Orange Man Bad. New York being what it is these days, the TDS attack dog won the election and became the Historicâ„¢ first black female NY AG, if you care about such things. And now, it looks like she may also have the distinction of becoming the first black female NY AG to earn herself fraud charges.As you may recall, James filed a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump in 2023, when he was between presidencies. She accused Trump and his family business of engaging in financial fraud to secure favorable loans and insurance terms. She claimed they did this by inflating the value of their real estate assets (as if lending institutions don't send their own assessors to check on the collateral before handing out massive loans, but I digress). James won a ludicrous ruling against Trump to the tune of approximately $455 million.
This judgment is currently under appeal and widely expected to be overturned by the court. But wouldn't it be funny if Tish James were the one who committed real estate fraud to obtain better loan terms?
A word about my source for what you are about to read: Sam E. Antar was one of the biggest fraudsters of the 1980s. In his role as CFO of the ubiquitous Brooklyn, N.Y.-based electronics chain Crazy Eddie, Antar was convicted of multiple federal fraud-based felonies in 1991, although he scored a plea deal that kept him out of prison.
Antar now describes himself as "a former certified public accountant whose career trajectory took a remarkable turn from perpetrator to investigator of financial fraud." According to his website, White Collar Fraud, "Following his criminal conviction, Antar redirected his expertise toward forensic accounting, leveraging his firsthand knowledge of financial fraud to help combat white-collar crime."
Antar has unearthed an interesting document bearing the signature of the heroine of our story, Tish James. It's a Specific Power of Attorney she signed for her relative, Shamice Thompson-Hairston, to be able to complete a real estate purchase on her behalf. The property in question is a modest residence in Norfolk, Va., which the two women purchased jointly. But the potential legal problem for James is a claim she made on the POA she signed on Aug. 17, 2023:
"I intend to occupy this property as my principal residence," swore James. But did she? Since she went on to conduct her infamous fraud suit against Donald Trump two months later, it seems highly unlikely. But if she didn't move to Virginia, that would mean she fraudulently signed the document.
Related:
Letitia James 03/29/2025 Tulsi Gabbard revokes security clearances, access to classified information for Biden, Harris, Clinton, others
Letitia James 03/11/2025 Protesters call for campus takeovers as Columbia activist threatened with deportation
Letitia James 03/11/2025 Judge blocks anti-Israel Columbia agitator Mahmoud Khalil from deportation as politicians come to his defense
Letitia James 03/29/2025 Tulsi Gabbard revokes security clearances, access to classified information for Biden, Harris, Clinton, others
Letitia James 03/11/2025 Protesters call for campus takeovers as Columbia activist threatened with deportation
Letitia James 03/11/2025 Judge blocks anti-Israel Columbia agitator Mahmoud Khalil from deportation as politicians come to his defense