A federal prosecutor in Virginia is resigning from his post after being told by Trump administration officials that he’d be removed for not bringing mortgage fraud charges against New York Attorney General
The decision to step down by Erik Siebert, who has been serving as US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, follows a day of public speculation about his future in the post. Siebert, who was nominated by President
Siebert had been asked by administration officials to prosecute James over allegations she committed mortgage fraud related to a home she owned in Virginia, said one of the people, both of whom asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. Siebert’s office told the officials that it hadn’t found sufficient evidence to charge James, said the person.
James, who led a successful civil fraud prosecution against Trump, has denied wrongdoing.
ABC reported earlier on the administration’s move to oust Siebert and his decision to resign.
The Justice Department, Siebert’s and James’s offices declined to comment.
Earlier Friday, Trump said he wanted Siebert “out” when asked by a reporter.
“It looks to me like she’s very guilty of something, but I really don’t know,” Trump said of James.
The Justice Department’s probe into James stemmed from claims by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director
James won a $454 million civil fraud case against Trump and his company in 2024 before he was elected. A New York appeals court struck down the financial penalty in August, but upheld the finding that Trump broke the law by inflating the value of his assets.
The Trump administration targeted several Democrats in an effort led by Justice Department official Ed Martin over the mortgage fraud allegations, including James, Federal Reserve Governor
Martin was appointed by Attorney General
The Justice Department has
Trump said in August he was firing Cook over mortgage fraud allegations, prompting her to file a lawsuit. A federal judge in Washington issued a ruling allowing Cook to remain in her position for now. Trump has asked the
Schiff has been one of Trump’s chief antagonists dating back to his first administration. President
Read More:
Siebert has spent his career climbing the ranks of the US attorney’s office in Virginia’s Eastern District. The Trump administration named him interim US attorney in January. His interim appointment expired in May, after which Trump nominated him to be confirmed by the Senate. Federal judges in the Eastern District of Virginia unanimously installed him as US attorney in May while he was awaiting Senate approval.
It’s possible that he’ll continue to work as a federal prosecutor in that office after being removed from the top job.
(Updates with details on prosecutor leaving post in lede. An earlier version of the story corrected the spelling of Virginia in headline.)
--With assistance from
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Ben Bain, Kevin Whitelaw
© 2025 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved. Used with permission.