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Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 6h

Oh damn I was using Lindera benzoin.

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Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 7h

I’ve never seen anything remotely this petty charged as bank fraud.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 8h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 7h

🚨BREAKING: A federal judge Thursday froze President Donald Trump’s attempt to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops in and around Chicago, saying the president lacked the authority to do so. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Federal Judge Halts Trump’s Chicago Military Deployment

Read more here.

www.democracydocket.com

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Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 1d

This administration is flooding the zone so furiously that people have largely lost track of the lethal attacks on boats in the Caribbean, the gov’t shutdown, the economy, failed release of the Epstein files & so much else. It’s a tactic of would-be strongmen.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 18h

yeah, trump has made very clear that he doesn’t think black people deserve to be in jobs of influence! www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/u...

Trump Fires Black Officials From an Overwhelmingly White Administration

www.nytimes.com

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 1d

"We took the freedom of speech away," says the president

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 1d

If you are a federal worker, there are several credit unions and other financial institutions that are offering zero interest loans during the government shutdown.

Please go to my website for more information: www.sanders.senate.gov/resources-fo...

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Jeff Roush @jeffroushwriting.bsky.social · 1d

And while most in Congress from both parties recognize this, Mike Johnson’s head remains too far lodged into an orange ass to admit it.

The story is available here:

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

White House says furloughed federal workers not entitled to back pay amid shutdown

OMB argues an amendment to a 2019 act would not guarantee furloughed workers post-shutdown pay

www.theguardian.com

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Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 18h

He’s talking- that’s good. The more sunlight on nefarious 💩, the better.

bsky.app/profile/mark...

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 18h

Spoke with cnn while sitting on the floor of my hotel room hallway bc my family were asleep in the other room.

6a E Mark.mp4 - 6a E Mark - Frame.io

next.frame.io

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Representative Jim McGovern @repmcgovern.bsky.social · 3d

🧵Today on the House Floor, I tried to force Speaker Johnson to swear-in Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won her election nearly two weeks ago but has yet to be seated.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

NN: Dems say you won't swear in Grijalva bc you don't want her vote on Epstein

JOHNSON: No. It's scheduling

NN: But there have been Rs sworn in during pro forma sessions

MJ: Only reason was bc they flew in their family

NN: So if she flies in her family you'd do it?

MJ: Again, it's a distraction

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George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 18h

Apart from helping Comey's selective prosecution defense, this also means the president of the United States uses direct messages on Truth Social to communicate with cabinet officials.

I didn't know that, but we can be sure intelligence agencies all over the planet already did.

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Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 19h

Thank you for that. So much.
Will share with Master Naturalist groups.
How can we help (more)?

Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 19h

The Trumpies are too busy chasing their games, to care about Nature specifically.
However, doing dumb things like defunding Americorps, lost us valuable interns.

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Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 19h

Nope. There is a cadre of #MasterNaturalists like myself, doing this work in every state. Join us!
VA provided for example.
Will share this work with our local group in WV!
So excited to find this!!

Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 19h

YES!! (Jumps around flinging milkweed puffs)

Peter Frankopan @peterfrankopan.bsky.social · Jun 30

What if we measured progress not just by income or life expectancy - but by how well we live with the rest of nature?

A major new paper proposes the 'Nature Relationship Index (NRI)' - a bold rethink of development metrics.

Here’s why it matters.👇
#NatureRelationshipIndex #GlobalThreads

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Peter Frankopan @peterfrankopan.bsky.social · 1d

Read my latest Global Threads piece on what’s really going on 👇

open.substack.com/pub/peterfra...

How Washington Has Handed Putin a Sanctions Lifeline

The curious case of carrots, olive branches and Belarus

open.substack.com

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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 1d

Two big GOP activists from Oregon were in DC last month for meetings with Trump admin officials. On their podcast they talk about a plan they discussed to nullify the results of Oregon's 2026 federal elections. Pass federal voter ID law, then refuse to seat OR delegation because OR didn't comply.

Ep. 18: September to Remember
October 6 • S1 E18 • 44 min
Also, we proposed a idea how to do a end run on vote by mail. Concept is based on what Trump proposed. When you vote, you check everyone's citizenship as well as voter ID.
In a vote by mail state, you might be able to check citizenship during voter registration. You can send copies of your passport and your birth certificate in.
How in the world are you going to check our voters?
Voter ID, right? Vote by mail. So that creates a problem for Oregon.
But if federal government new requirement is to check both, and if Oregon can comply with the requirements, what would happen to our election result? I'm talking about the entire federal delegation.
For federal elections, we're talking about only federal elections.
COMMON SENSE
Vascluar

Ep. 18: September to Remember
October 6 • S1 E18 • 44 min
So entire federal delegation, congressmen and senators could be challenged, could be unseated because you didn't follow federal requirements to elect them. So I said the trade-off is worth it. You know why?
Democrats control two Senate seats out of six congressional seats. We only control one. They control five.
You talk about trade-off, right?
COMMON SENSE
Sanctuany

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Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 20h

We lived in Germany 6 years.
First day, friends met us at the airport, showed us around Frankfurt.
I found holes in a building- deep in sandstone brick.
Asked why they never fixed it..
“So we will not forget.”
We must not forget.

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David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 1d

Exceptional essay from @brianbeutler.bsky.social:

"If the politics of tyranny were self-discrediting, we wouldn't need mantras like 'never again.'"

"Despotism doesn’t impose itself on everyone all at once. It creeps inward from the margins of society."

www.offmessage.net/p/the-median...

The Median Experience Of Tyranny

If the politics of tyranny were self-discrediting, we wouldn't need mantras like "never again."

www.offmessage.net

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Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 20h

Wow.

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

Just published, a study describing a taste-based flu test yes, chewing gum that could tell you if you have influenza. The gum contains a sensor that detects the flu enzyme neuraminidase & releases a compound called thymol that changes taste when the virus is present.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

A Viral Neuraminidase-Specific Sensor for Taste-Based Detection of Influenza

Influenza has caused the deadliest pandemics in history, thereby prompting advances in our ability to ensure vigilance at all stages of future outbreaks. Quarantining patients early is crucial when it...

pubs.acs.org

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Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 20h

Gotta call it what it is.

Dr. Jack Brown @drjackbrown.bsky.social · 1d

Most of Dem Senators did not attack Bondi yesterday as they should have. Among other things they should have said, "You're lying again, Ms. Bondi" and "That's a bald-faced lie, Ms. Bondi."

The rapid rise of authoritarianism is no place for etiquette.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Schiff: "If a president in secret can put names on a list and kill them, then there is no war power still retained by Congress, and there's no check on an executive who may drag us into another war."

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Mle Gordon @edgegrrl.bsky.social · 20h

As an escaped Texan, I delight in the new word.
Hope the girl is OK, & that Ted got some help/correction.

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