Sen. Adam Schiff is reportedly under federal investigation for alleged mortgage fraud after a federal housing agency sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department in May regarding the California Democrat’s ownership of a Maryland home.
The US Attorney’s Office in Maryland is leading the probe, which could result in charges against the junior senator from California and former 12-term congressman, a Trump administration source told Fox News “Ingraham Angle” host Laura Ingraham on Tuesday.
The DOJ, Maryland US Attorney’s Office and Schiff did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte sent a referral letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on May 27 detailing “multiple instances” between 2003 and 2019 where Schiff allegedly “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, impacting payments” for property he owns in Potomac, Md. – one of the most affluent Washington, DC, suburbs.
Schiff, 65, listed the Maryland home as his primary residence in several mortgage refinancing filings between 2009 and 2013, despite being an elected official representing the Golden State and having taken out a homeowner’s tax exemption on a Burbank, Calif. condo he purchased – which he also claimed as his primary residence – over the same time period, according to Pulte.
Schiff and his wife did not list the Potomac property as a secondary residence until 2020, Pulte noted.
“Mr. Schiff appears to have falsified records in order to receive favorable loan terms, and also appears to have been aware of the financial benefits of a primary residence mortgage when compared to a secondary residence mortgage as a spokesperson in 2023 told the media outlet CNN that, ‘Adam’s California and Maryland addresses have been listed as primary residences for loan purposes because they are both occupied throughout the year and to distinguish them from a vacation property,’” the letter explained.
Schiff may have violated federal laws against wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and making false statements to financial institutions, Pulte said.
Schiff is a former House intelligence committee chairman whose unproven claims about Trump’s ties to Russia enraged Republicans and led to his censure. He also served as chief manager in Trump’s 2020 Senate impeachment trial for pressuring Ukraine to investigate alleged Biden family corruption.
When reports of the criminal referral emerged in July, Schiff denied any wrongdoing in messages posted on X.
“Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason. So in a way, I guess this is a bit of a letdown. And this baseless attempt at political retribution won’t stop me from holding him accountable. Not by a long shot,” the senator wrote.
“This is just Donald Trump’s latest attempt at political retaliation against his perceived enemies,” Schiff added. “So it is not a surprise, only how weak this false allegation turns out to be. And much as Trump may hope, this smear will not distract from his Epstein files problem.”
A spokesperson for Schiff noted at the time that “the lenders who provided the mortgages for both homes were well aware of then-Representative Schiff’s Congressional service and of his intended year-round use of both homes, neither of which were vacation homes.”
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