The Center to Advance Security in America, a conservative watchdog group, has filed a complaint accusing New York Attorney General Letitia James of professional misconduct related to a mortgage in Norfolk, Virginia. This mortgage was central to her now-dismissed federal fraud case. The group submitted its complaint to New York’s Attorney Grievance Committee, which handles lawyer discipline in Manhattan and the Bronx.
According to the complaint and public statements, CASA claims that James acted in “illegal and dishonest conduct” regarding the mortgage she secured on the Norfolk property. The complaint argues that her actions might have violated New York’s Rules of Professional Conduct. It asks disciplinary authorities to investigate if the state’s top law enforcement officer followed the same ethical guidelines she is responsible for enforcing.
This bar complaint comes just days after a federal judge in Virginia dismissed bank fraud and false statement charges against James and former FBI Director James Comey. Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie determined that Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-appointed interim U.S. attorney who filed the indictments, was unlawfully appointed and did not have the authority to prosecute either case.
Currie dismissed the indictments “without prejudice,” which means prosecutors could potentially try again with a properly appointed U.S. attorney. The judge did not address the claims that James misled a bank about the Norfolk property, focusing instead on the appointment issue and stating that Halligan’s service was unlawfully initiated after the Justice Department’s 120-day interim window had expired.
The Justice Department is not stepping back as officials have stated that the government “plans to appeal” the dismissals, indicating that the battle over both the appointment issue and the politically charged prosecutions is far from over.
Federal prosecutors accused James of misrepresenting the Norfolk house to secure better mortgage terms. Court documents and news reports state she faced one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution. The allegations claim she portrayed the Virginia property as a residence instead of an investment to obtain a lower interest rate and more favorable conditions. James pleaded not guilty, denied any wrongdoing, and described the case as politically motivated, citing years of attacks from President Donald Trump and his allies regarding her civil fraud lawsuit against him.
After Currie’s ruling, James celebrated the dismissal as a “victory” and pledged to continue serving New Yorkers. She highlighted that the judge had not found any misconduct on her part but had rejected the prosecutor’s authority to bring the case.
CASA’s complaint seems to complicate that victory. By reiterating the original mortgage allegations and presenting them as potential ethical violations, the group is urging disciplinary officials to address, directly, whether James’s management of the Norfolk loan crossed any legal or professional boundaries. The complaint references the same loan documents and property records that formed the basis of the criminal case, arguing that even if the indictment collapsed on a technicality, the described conduct cannot be ignored.
At this time, there is no indication of when or if the Attorney Grievance Committee will take any public action. Most bar investigations in New York occur in secret, with outcomes ranging from quiet dismissals to public reprimands or disbarment in serious cases. James’s office has chosen not to comment on the complaint.
What is clear is that the Norfolk mortgage issue is not going away. James has seen the criminal charges vanish due to procedural reasons, while the Justice Department prepares to appeal and a conservative watchdog pursues the ethics case.
