Three words in Letitia James' mortgage contract doom the fraud case against her

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7. this is specious

...'the other requirements' weren't violated at all.

Moreover, the indictment that we can all read right now says that she reported 'thousands' of dollars in rents received” for tax purposes.

James’ 2020 tax return reflected $1,350 in rental income, which was paid to cover the cost of utilities, according to ABC News.

“James filed Schedule E tax form(s), under penalties of perjury, treating the … Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s) of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification,” Halligan wrote in the indictment.

Even if Thompson did pay rent as the indictment suggests, that fact alone does not establish criminal fraud, three experts in contracts, finance and housing law told POLITICO

“The core of the allegations is that James knowingly lied that she was not going to rent,” Adam Levitin, a Georgetown Law professor who specializes in banking and finance law, said after reviewing James’ Second Home Rider. “The problem is there is absolutely no statement ever made by James that she would not rent out the property — the contract language does not prohibit rentals, it prohibits rentals via a third party.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/29/letitia-james-mortgage-contract-indictment-00625010