New York Attorney General Letitia James was photographed Thursday exiting her Brooklyn brownstone for a federal arraignment on mortgage fraud charges in Virginia — where her “fugitive” grandniece will also be facing a possible restraining order for threatening to “punch” a school official earlier this month.
James, 67, will appear at the Walter E. Hoffman US Courthouse in Norfolk at 11 a.m. Friday, after being indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 9 for bank fraud and making false claims to a financial institution — in a case that former prosecutors have said will be difficult to defend.
Two hours before, her grandniece Nakia Thompson will also appear for a Friday hearing with an assistant principal at her kid’s elementary school, who petitioned a Virginia judge for a protective order after Thompson shouted that she would “punch” her in the “f–king face.”
The New York AG bought a second home on Aug. 17, 2020, with a $109,600 loan that designated her as the “sole borrower to occupy and use the property.”
However, federal prosecutors alleged the Norfolk home “was not occupied or used” by James and “was instead used as a rental investment property”, which was occupied by Thompson.
That will save her nearly $19,000 “over the life of the loan,” according to the five-page indictment filed by US Attorney Lindsey Halligan in the Eastern District of Virginia.
“No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” Halligan said in a statement at the time. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”
James had listed the residence as an “investment” property in state ethics filings until May of this year — one month after President Trump’s Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte referred her to the Department of Justice for prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud in purchasing another home in Norfolk in 2023.
The New York State financial disclosures showed her netting between $1,000 and $5,000 in rental income from her Virginia properties since 2020, though the relative who resides at the home at the center of the federal indictment testified to a grand jury earlier this year that she’s never paid rent, The New York Times reported.
Neighbors on the same street who spoke with The Post last week said they have never seen the state AG popping in for a visit.
James famously declared “no one is above the law” when bringing what resulted in a $500 million civil judgment against President Trump for inflating the value of his real estate empire — but has declared the federal fraud case against her “baseless.”
“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system. He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General,” said James in a statement after the indictment was handed up.
“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost. The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties,” added James, who is being represented by Democratic powerhouse attorney Abbe Lowell.
Roger Keller, who had been serving as a Missouri-based prosecutor, will be appearing in the Norfolk federal courtroom to represent the US in the case.
Thompson, 36, who is still living in the home named in the indictment, is currently a wanted fugitive by North Carolina authorities with a slew of arrests that include assaults on police officers, according to court documents.
On Oct. 9, the same day that her great aunt James was indicted, Thompson was “upset and used profane language” on a phone call with assistant principal Marie Hall after one of her children got an “infraction referral” at their elementary school, according to an affidavit.
She later showed up on campus and began berating Hall and using “verbal threats,” the affidavit recounts, which resulted in school officials calling the police.
“Bitch, I got something for you,” she threatened. “I’m still gonna punch you in the f–king face, bald-headed bitch.”
A Norfolk judge has already granted Hall a preliminary protective order, barring Thompson from committing acts of violence or having contact with the assistant principal.
Thompson also got caught with James’ relatives who live in the other Norfolk property stealing roughly $2,000 worth of merchandise from Macy’s and Dillard’s in Chesapeake, Va., in August 2019.
She spent just six months in jail with a more than five-year suspended sentence for the grand larceny.
Shamice Thompson-Hairston lives full-time in the other home with two daughters. One of them, Cayla Thompson-Hairston, is a 21-year-old OnlyFans model with a rap sheet as well.
In April 2024, Cayla Thompson-Hairston was charged with lying about her felony criminal record when she tried to buy a gun in Suffolk, Virginia, court records show.
James’ relatives in both residences have been charged with a total of eight felonies and three misdemeanors over the last five years — but their charges have either been downgraded or dropped every time.
