New York Attorney General Letitia James will appear before a judge on October 8 to answer charges that she violated city building codes with an oversized fence at her controversial Brooklyn brownstone — and even Democratic Party leaders say they’re “tired of double standards.”
The same property is currently the subject of a federal Department of Justice investigation into alleged mortgage fraud.
James faces fines for maintaining a fence that illegally measures between 5 feet, 5 inches and 5 feet, 6 inches in height at her Clinton Hill residence. New York City code limits front yard fences to 4 feet in height.
The New York City Department of Buildings issued James a violation notice on July 23 after receiving at least three anonymous complaints since April about the black iron fence that violates city law.
City Councilman Robert Holden said New Yorkers are “tired of double standards” and that all public officials must follow the same rules as other city homeowners.
“If the DOB summons and mortgage questions are accurate, Attorney General Letitia James should bring the fence into compliance, pay any penalties, and be fully transparent, because no one is above the law,” said Holden, a Democrat.
According to Department of Buildings official Andrew Rudansky, James’s violation is “curable.” If she removes the fence or lowers it to legal height by September 26, the hearing will be canceled and the matter resolved without fines.
Several neighbors on the tree-lined block between St. James Place and Grand Avenue said they were unaware the fence violated city regulations. One longtime neighbor insisted James “inherited the fence when she purchased the 120-year-old brownstone in 2001.”
James is also under federal investigation for a much more serious crime: Alleged mortgage fraud involving both her Brooklyn brownstone and a Virginia property she co-owns with a niece.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte referred James to the DOJ in April, alleging that she falsified records to secure better loan terms by consistently listing her Brooklyn residence as a four-bedroom home instead of a five-bedroom home.
The DOJ has been investigating the allegations since April that James committed mortgage fraud by falsifying records to receive favorable loan terms on both the Clinton Hill property and the Virginia property.
James has dismissed the fraud allegations as “baseless” and claimed they were a “direct result of her long history of legal battles with President Trump.”
The attorney general has filed multiple lawsuits against Trump during his presidency and afterward, including a civil fraud case that resulted in a $454 million judgment against the former president and his business empire.
The DOJ is investigating several other government officials over alleged mortgage fraud, including Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
James’s brownstone sits in the luxury Clinton Hill neighborhood, which is known for its well-preserved 19th-century architecture and strict building regulations designed to maintain the area’s historic character.
The October 8 hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. before a judge with the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.