Executive Summary: The New York State Comptroller has now officially certified they have “no records” justifying $41,807 in taxpayer-funded private jet travel by Attorney General Letitia James’ office, while the AG’s office says it needs until July 18 to “begin producing” any documents. State law requires complete documentation of all such expenditures. This investigation reveals a troubling pattern of missing records, procedural failures, and delayed transparency at the highest levels of New York’s legal system amid an ongoing federal probe of Letitia James’ mortgage transactions and NY state disclosure inconsistencies.
Two government agencies. Two very different answers. One inescapable conclusion: New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office spent $41,807 in taxpayer funds on private jets with no public accountability—and now, both the State Comptroller and the Attorney General’s Office are stonewalling attempts to uncover the truth.
Background: The Missing Travel Records
This investigation began on March 23, 2025, when our investigation first revealed that between 2020 and 2021, Letitia James’ office quietly paid over $41,000 to Venture Jets, Inc., a private charter company used by no other New York State agency.
The Exclusive Vendor Relationship
What makes this story particularly concerning is that no other New York State agency has ever used this vendor. A comprehensive review of state expenditure records from 2015 to present confirms this stunning fact: Venture Jets appears exclusively in transactions with the Attorney General’s office—until the relationship shifted to James’ campaign.
After taxpayer funding for private jets ended in December 2021, James’ campaign immediately hired the same charter company in May 2022, paying $12,049 for “Transportation” in a campaign finance filing—suggesting a relationship that shifted from public to campaign functions without clear separation.
Suspicious Timing: Flights Align with Campaign Events
These six flights—aligned with known campaign events in Martha’s Vineyard and Puerto Rico—were buried as line items in the State Comptroller’s checkbook with no contracts, no travel memos, no passenger manifests, and no public explanation.
A review of James’ campaign finance records shows that several of these dates align closely with campaign expenditures. For example:
- The August 10, 2021 charter payment ($7,015.45) occurred on the exact same day James’ campaign reported paying $2,000 for a Martha’s Vineyard house rental.
- The November 8, 2021 payments (totaling $13,246.15) coincided with the SOMOS conference in Puerto Rico, where James was reportedly engaged in campaign activities.
In response, on April 8, 2025 we filed FOIL requests with both the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) seeking all documentation related to these flights.
Our request specifically sought:
- Contracts and procurement documentation
- Passenger manifests
- Travel authorizations
- Justification memos
- Evidence of competitive bidding
The First Denial: “No Records Beyond a Spreadsheet”
On May 5, 2025, the OSC responded with a brief letter claiming they had “no further responsive records” beyond a basic spreadsheet showing payment dates and amounts. The letter offered no explanation for why these records did not exist, nor did it address the legal requirements for maintaining such documentation.
Procedural Manipulation
Notably, this May 5 denial letter omitted legally required appeal instructions, violating FOIL requirements under Public Officers Law §89(4)(a), which mandates that all denials include instructions for appeal.
This procedural failure appears calculated to obstruct transparency.
On May 8, we published initial findings from this FOIL request, highlighting the concerning lack of documentation.
According to New York State Finance Law §163, state agencies must maintain complete records detailing the history of procurement, including the rationale for procurement method, contractor selection, and the basis for contract price.
Yet none of this required documentation has been produced despite formal requests.
Comptroller’s Response: “No Records Exist”
Dissatisfied with this inadequate response and determined to pursue all legal avenues, we challenged the Comptroller’s Office through proper administrative channels.
After we filed a formal appeal of the May 5 denial, the New York State Comptroller’s Office has now confirmed the worst: there are no records justifying these payments.
In a formal FOIL appeal determination dated May 19, 2025, signed by Terri Crowley, Deputy Comptroller for the Office of Operations, the OSC certified that after “diligent searches,” they found no documentation beyond a simple spreadsheet of payments.
“I certify that after diligent searches, the spreadsheet of information provided on May 5, 2025 was the only record found that was responsive to your eight-part request made pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law, dated April 8, 2025. No further records were found that are responsive to your request.”
— Terri Crowley, Deputy Comptroller, OSC Certification, May 19, 2025
The Most Stunning Admission
The Comptroller stated that “no agreement was required” for these charter flights, effectively acknowledging:
- No travel justification, contract, or approval records exist
- The AG’s office bypassed standard oversight documentation
- Officials are willing to acknowledge this procurement failure on record
This extraordinary admission suggests either a systemic breakdown in financial controls or a deliberate circumvention of normal procurement channels—neither of which reflects well on an office responsible for enforcing the law.
No Right to Appeal
Special Counsel for Ethics Camille S. Jobin-Davis further confirmed: “This will confirm that a diligent search was conducted for all of the documents identified in your Request, and a diligent search was conducted in response to your May 5, 2025 appeal, and you were provided with all of the records that were identified as responsive.”
Worse, not only did the Comptroller fail to produce any required documentation—they declared the matter closed.
According to their letter: “In this instance, where you were not denied access to records or portions thereof, there is no right to appeal. Instead, attached please find a Certification that this office conducted diligent searches and was unable to locate any further responsive records.”
In other words: no contract, no paper trail, no problem. And no further recourse.
Why This Response Raises Red Flags
A System-Wide Failure of Financial Controls
OSC’s claim that $41,807 in taxpayer money was spent without requiring documentation is extraordinary. This admission likely received senior-level approval and reveals a shocking procurement failure.
The absence of documentation for these flights doesn’t just violate policy—it undermines the entire foundation of public financial oversight.
Our FOIL request sought eight categories of records that should exist for legitimate charter expenses, including contracts, passenger manifests, justifications, and policies. The OSC’s failure to produce these violates New York’s State Finance Law, which requires documented vendor responsibility assessments.
The AG’s Office Response: Delay and Obfuscation
Meanwhile, while the Comptroller’s response was brazenly dismissive, the Attorney General’s office employed delay tactics, stating on May 14:
“We estimate that, by July 18, 2025, we will be able to begin producing to you any records… This additional time is needed for:
• the age of the records that may respond to your request; and
• the detailed nature of the review required to respond to your request.”
The Two-Month Delay
These are records from 2020-2021—not ancient history. The two-month delay is particularly suspicious given that our investigation was published nearly two months ago, giving the AG’s office ample time to locate these documents.
Standard state travel procedures require:
- Authorization forms signed prior to booking
- Justification memos for non-standard travel
- Traveler lists and their official purpose
- Reimbursement documentation if any personal component exists
The delay suggests one of two possibilities:
- The records never existed (a serious protocol breach)
- They do exist but are being withheld to minimize political fallout
Why This Matters
This isn’t just about missing paperwork—it’s about accountability. James has prosecuted others for financial misrepresentations while seemingly avoiding basic transparency requirements for her own office.
When $41,807 in taxpayer funds can be spent without required documentation, while citizens face stringent accountability for far lesser financial matters, the foundations of equal justice are at risk.
The context is particularly troubling given the April 14, 2025 criminal referral from the Federal Housing Finance Agency to the Department of Justice regarding James’ potential mortgage fraud. These missing flight records, which by law should be available, suggest a broader pattern of documentation issues.
Strategic Considerations
A potential tactical dimension requires careful attention. If the OAG eventually releases documentation after claiming extensive review time was needed, the delay itself becomes suspicious and requires explanation.
Critically, the Comptroller has already certified in writing that no agreements or contracts exist. Any contradictory information later produced by the Attorney General’s Office would create a significant inconsistency requiring explanation from both agencies.
We’ve observed a pattern in politically sensitive cases where agencies delay disclosures, then release carefully curated information designed to bait critics into statements that can later be challenged with “new” documentation. To counter this possibility, we are establishing a comprehensive record of all communications, preserving timestamps, and maintaining a complete evidentiary trail of this investigation.
This isn’t speculation—it’s preparation based on established tactics. Transparency should not be a game of information manipulation, especially from offices charged with upholding the law.
Next Steps
We’ve preserved the Comptroller’s written certification that no records exist and the Attorney General’s delay notice. We’ll publish whatever they eventually release—if anything.
New Yorkers should ask: Is the top law enforcement officer in the state above the law?
When legally required records cannot be located, only two possibilities exist:
- Administrative failure: Records were never properly created despite legal requirements
- Improper disposition: Records were created but subsequently removed
With the Comptroller’s office certifying no further records exist and claiming there’s no right to appeal, attention now shifts to the Attorney General’s July response—and what it reveals about an office operating without documentation required of every other agency.
Stay tuned. This story is far from over—and the rule of law demands it not end here.
Written by: Sam Antar
© 2025 Sam Antar. All rights reserved.
For full background, see the original exposé: Letitia James Spent $41K Taxpayer Funds on Private Jet Flights While Campaigning and the follow-up: The Charter Flight Mystery
All documents referenced in this article are available for public examination through the hyperlinked references throughout the text.