New York Legal professional Common Letitia James has tapped felony protection lawyer Abbe Lowell — who beforehand defended Hunter Biden in opposition to federal tax and gun fees — as she fights mortgage fraud allegations.
Lowell, a associate on the Winston & Strawn LLP regulation agency, was employed by the Workplace of the New York State Legal professional Common and never retained personally by James, in keeping with the Occasions Union.
The choice to rent Lowell, a distinguished white-collar protection lawyer, was primarily based partially on the AG’s workplace perception that the bombshell felony referral filed by Federal Housing Finance Company Director William Pulte earlier this month was immediately correlated to the civil fraud lawsuit James’ workplace introduced in opposition to President Trump final 12 months, the outlet reported.
James is accused of falsifying information to get residence loans for a property in Virginia that she claimed was her “principal residence” in 2023 — whereas nonetheless serving as a New York state prosecutor, in keeping with Pulte’s referral to the Justice Division.
Pulte additionally alleged that in February 2001, James bought a five-family dwelling in Brooklyn however has “consistently misrepresented the same property as only having four units in both building permit applications and numerous mortgage documents and applications.”
Lowell is representing James as a non-public citizen, not as a member of Winston & Strawn LLP, in keeping with Fox Information.
On Thursday, Lowell tried to poke holes within the allegations in a letter to Legal professional Common Pam Bondi. He additionally argued that the accusations are nothing however “retribution” from Trump in opposition to James within the letter.
It’s unclear if New York taxpayers might be footing the invoice for Lowell’s authorized companies.
The DC-based lawyer reportedly “charges a rate of $855 per billable hour,” a determine that was cited by an lawyer for Lunden Roberts – Hunter’s child mama – when the previous first son requested an Arkansas courtroom in 2023 to cut back his little one assist funds.
The New York AG’s workplace and Lowell didn’t reply to The Submit’s requests for remark.
Hunter retained Lowell in December 2022 forward of Home Republican investigations into his abroad enterprise dealings.
Lowell, a graduate of Columbia Regulation College, served as Hunter’s high lawyer all through the particular counsel investigation that culminated in federal gun and tax fees.
Hunter was convicted of three felonies at trial within the Delaware gun case and pleaded responsible to 9 fees – three felonies and 6 misdemeanors – within the tax fraud case out of California final 12 months.
He averted jail time after receiving an Eleventh-hour pardon from former President Joe Biden in December.
Lowell, who served as chief minority counsel within the Home of Representatives throughout the impeachment proceedings in opposition to President Invoice Clinton within the late Nineties, additionally efficiently defended distinguished Democrats John Edwards and former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) from federal corruption fees in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
Throughout Trump’s first time period, Lowell represented first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, in congressional and FBI probes into Russia collusion allegations.
