Department of Justice Special Attorney Ed Martin was spotted in Brooklyn Friday inspecting Tish James’ multi-family residential property that is at the center of a federal mortgage fraud investigation.
Martin, conspicuous in a beige trench coat, visited the Clinton Hill brownstone a week after being appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to run parallel mortgage fraud probes into the New York attorney general and her fellow Trump-deranged Democrat, California Sen. Adam Schiff.
Grand juries in Virginia and Maryland are currently weighing criminal indictments for James and Schiff respectively over allegations they falsified property records to secure favorable loan terms.
James’ Brooklyn property at 296 Lafayette Avenue is classified as a five-unit dwelling, but James is alleged to have misrepresented the building on mortgage applications, building permits, and filings for government assistance as having only four units.
The alleged misclassification allowed her to qualify for loans with better interest rates and lower down payments through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are only available for properties with four or fewer residential units.
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At the time Martin was inspecting the property on Friday afternoon, there was one doorbell visible at the main entrance and an additional four door bells at a side entrance, with weathered labels signifying “1 Floor,” “2 Floor,” “3A,” and “3B.”
A neighbor confronted Martin and an unidentified colleague as they were standing out the front of the property and asked them what they were doing.
“Tell me why you’re here,” said the middle aged blonde in navy gym shorts and black tank top.
“We know who lives here . . . You’re not here about the houses. You’re here because of who lives here. It’s my neighborhood. It’s my block. I have a right to know what you guys are doing.”
Martin replied: “I’m just happy to be on a block looking at houses . . . I’m just looking at houses, interesting houses. It’s an important house.”
“It’s not,” retorted the neighbor.
“It’s just like every other tract house on this block that was built by developers.”
“They’re beautiful, beautiful neighborhood,” Martin told her, before walking away.
The investigation into James’ real estate holdings began in April when Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department.
Pulte alleged James may have “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms” by claiming a Norfolk, Virginia, home she bought in 2023 would be her “principal residence” while acting as New York AG, and that the property she owns in Brooklyn was her second residence.
The case also includes allegations that James and her father signed mortgage papers listing themselves as “husband and wife” to meet lending rules.
Both James and Schiff deny any wrongdoing.
“Bill Pulte and his FHFA team got this started with his criminal referral,” Martin said last week.
“And as Tish James and Adam Schiff always say: ‘Nobody is above the law.’ ”
Special attorneys are empowered to conduct criminal proceedings, including grand jury investigations and prosecutions, usually in sensitive or high-profile cases, and can operate outside the district where the case is pending.
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