Trump's DOJ indicts NY AG Letitia James — prosecutor who won $454M fraud judgment against Trump

The Trump Justice Department indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on October 9, 2025, on one count of bank fraud — months after she had won a landmark $454 million civil fraud judgment against Trump. The case was brought by Trump's personally appointed interim U.S. attorney for Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, a former personal lawyer for Trump who replaced the previous U.S. attorney after he refused to file charges. James pleaded not guilty on October 24. The federal charges were dismissed without prejudice on November 24, but the DOJ sought a new indictment. In December 2025, two separate grand juries declined to indict James. Legal experts and Democrats described the prosecution as transparent political retaliation, using the Justice Department as an instrument of personal revenge.