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Peter Sterne

@petersterne.com

17K followers 1.1K following 4.3K posts

State Editor at cityandstateny.bsky.social. Previously @nysfocus.bsky.social, @freedom.press and @politico.com. He/him. Email: [email protected] Signal: petersterne.91 https://petersterne.com

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 7d

SCOOP: DSA-backed City Council Member @cmalexaaviles.bsky.social is exploring a primary challenge to Rep. Dan Goldman in NY-10.

Avilés is meeting with @socialists.nyc's Electoral Working Group next week to discuss her potential congressional run.

Read more at @cityandstateny.bsky.social:

Alexa Avilés exploring challenge to Rep. Dan Goldman in NY-10

The DSA-backed City Council member has been talking to allies about potentially challenging the incumbent representative.

www.cityandstateny.com

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 8h

Welp, here it is: maybe the funniest thing we've ever done, in its entirety.

The Onion Investigates: Jeffrey Epstein

YouTube video by The Onion

www.youtube.com

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Willamette Week @wweek.com · 7h

Jack Dickinson, 26, says “we’re winning this.”

An Interview With the Portland Chicken

Rachel Saslow

www.wweek.com

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6h

"30-year-old conservative lawyer and activist who is Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, which deals with federal employee whistleblower complaints and discrimination" cancelled his colleague's hotel room so she would be forced to stay with him.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

In late July, Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, arrived at a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando with a lower-ranking female colleague and others from their department. When the group reached the front desk, the woman learned she didn’t have a hotel room.

Ingrassia then informed her that she would be staying with him, according to five administration officials familiar with the episode. Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him, three of those officials said.

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 1d

Exclusive: The Pentagon has investigated nearly 300 Defense Department employees for online comments after the death of Charlie Kirk.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's order to target those critical of Kirk reflects deepening alarm over his stewardship.

Hegseth’s sprawling hunt for Charlie Kirk critics spans nearly 300 investigations

The inquiry, resulting in a smattering of disciplinary action so far, follows an extraordinary directive aimed at silencing criticism of the slain activist and Trump supporter.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Eric Reinhart @eric-reinhart.com · 7h

I’ve long published things that pissed people off and harmed my ‘career.’ This is the first time I’ve had to consider whether an essay might get my passport cancelled and provoke the invention of federal charges. Self-aggrandizing paranoia, or reasonable caution? No idea. We live in a fascist state.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 8h

You won’t believe what degrading practice the Pope just condemned

Communication must be freed from clickbait and misguided thinking, head of Catholic church tells journalists The Pope has condemned clickbait as a “degrading” part of journalism, at a private audience with global newswires. Australian media representatives were among those to hear directly from Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday with about 150 members of newswire alliance MINDS International. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 15h

With SCOTUS set to legalize conversion therapy, I think it's important for states to get around this decision by implementing new legislation applying private rights of action to practitioners of conversion therapy by their victims with large damages and long statutes of limitations.

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Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 9h

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

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 10h

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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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 9h

But it's also easy to see why ordinary people on a grand jury, presented with this evidence and with nothing to rebut it, would conclude "it does seem like she agreed to use it as a second home but then rented it out, so I guess she did fraud"

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 9h

Oh wow, that's a good catch. See, this is why you're an attorney.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 9h

Perry says the order will say defendants are "temporarily enjoined from ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois."

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 9h

They gave up on the idea that she had multiple primary residences and are now going after her for claiming it as a secondary residence instead of an investment property.

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 9h

True, but that's not what this indictment alleges. www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...

The case stems from a mortgage that James received on a Virginia home that she purchased for $137,000 in 2020. The indictment alleges that James got a more favorable mortgage rate of 3% because she signed a “Second Home Rider,” which required her to use the property as a secondary residence, but she instead rented the property out to others, which meant that she should have paid a mortgage rate of 3.815%. According to the indictment, she saved a grand total of $18,933.

The U.S. Department of Justice may have other motivations for bringing this case than just recapturing the $19,000 difference between a secondary home mortgage and an investment property mortgage.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

Josh Fruhlinger @jfruh.bsky.social · 9h

all else aside it seems weird that you'd get a lower interest rate on a second home than you would on a rental property

Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 9h

Here's the feds' "evidence" that state AG Letitia James committed bank fraud: She allegedly got a 3% mortgage rate on a Virginia house that she said she'd use as a second home, but she rented it out instead – so she should have paid a 3.185% rate, a difference of about $19,000.

Letitia James indicted by federal grand jury in Virginia

State Attorney General Letitia James has reportedly been indicted for alleged mortgage fraud.

www.cityandstateny.com

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 9h

The only time it should matter whether or not you're renting out your second home, technically making you a landlord, is when you're seeking a DSA endorsement.

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 9h

Even in theory, I don't think it makes any sense for the feds to prosecute an individual homeowner for this kind of alleged misrepresentation. Maybe if it were like a corporate landlord that was doing this on an industrial scale?

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 9h

Letitia James indicted by federal grand jury in Virginia

State Attorney General Letitia James has reportedly been indicted for alleged mortgage fraud.

www.cityandstateny.com

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 10h

Per the indictment, the "multiple homes as primary residences" thing actually isn't what they got her on. They found a new pretext – that she bought a house and said it would be her secondary residence but instead rented it out to people. www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...

Letitia James indicted by federal grand jury in Virginia

State Attorney General Letitia James has reportedly been indicted for alleged mortgage fraud.

www.cityandstateny.com