On April 14, 2025, NJ.com and reporter Lauren Sforza ran a hit piece designed to discredit my investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James. In doing so, they falsely identified me — Sam E. Antar — as a recently convicted “fraudster,” and falsely suggested I was working in coordination with Donald Trump. Neither claim was true. I was the […]
This article is part of our continuing investigation into Letitia James’s real estate, financial, and regulatory disclosures. The findings presented here are based on newly uncovered documents, cross-referenced city filings, and expanded analysis from our previous reporting. Letitia James has built a political career on accountability and transparency. But when it comes to her own real estate dealings, the paper
Letitia James’s 40-Year Pattern of Property and Financial Discrepancies Read More »
Corruption, CrimeAttorney General Letitia James built her career prosecuting fraud—but our investigation reveals a two-decade discrepancy in her own property records that suggests she may have committed it herself. Since acquiring her Brooklyn property in 2001, James has entered into multiple mortgages and modifications consistently describing it as a 4-unit building, despite official records classifying it as a 5-unit dwelling. No
EXPOSED: Every Explanation for AG Letitia James’ Missing Unit Opens New Can of Worms Read More »
Corruption, CrimeA Tale of Two Standards New York Attorney General Letitia James has made a name for herself prosecuting landlords and real estate fraudsters. Yet our investigation reveals troubling discrepancies in her own property filings—irregularities that would likely result in stiff penalties for most New Yorkers. Documents from the NYC Department of Buildings show a pattern of inconsistencies about a Brooklyn
AG Letitia James’ Building Permits Raise Serious Questions Read More »
Corruption, CrimeOn a mortgage document buried deep in New York City’s property records, someone scrawled words that could now haunt Attorney General Letitia James: “…not more than 6 residential units…” The seemingly innocuous modification potentially allowed James to circumvent federal lending rules that explicitly limited eligibility to properties with no more than four units. But that’s just one of several handwritten
Exposed: Letitia James’ Handwritten Mortgage Modifications Raise Fraud Questions Read More »
Corruption, CrimeIn light of the troubling financial disclosure inconsistencies detailed in my investigative reports, I’ve filed formal Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests with both the New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG) and the Office of the New York State Attorney General. This post explains why these formal actions are necessary and what they might accomplish.
FOIL Requests Launched: Investigating Letitia James’ Questionable Property Disclosures Read More »
Corruption, CrimeExclusive: Continuing Investigation Uncovers More Decade-Long Transparency Issues in Property and Mortgage Disclosures [UPDATED March 9, 2025: This article has been expanded with additional details about the classification of loans and more precise analysis of disclosure requirements for mortgages vs. home equity lines of credit.] Just when we thought we had uncovered the full extent of New York Attorney General
Accountability on Trial: Letitia James’ Shocking Financial Disclosure Failures Read More »
Corruption, CrimeThe Real Deal recently published an article by Erik Engquist titled “How the city’s wacky property taxes confuse even fraudsters,” which fundamentally misrepresented my investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James’ financial disclosures. Instead of examining the documented pattern of financial disclosure inconsistencies I uncovered, The Real Deal chose to run interference for a powerful public official by attacking
The Art of Obstruction As CFO of Crazy Eddie during the 1980s, I orchestrated what would become one of retail’s most notorious financial frauds. Our approach to covering our tracks was methodical and two-pronged. First came destruction. Our office shredders operated around the clock, turning potentially incriminating documents into confetti. But for the mountain of paperwork we couldn’t immediately destroy,
Crazy Eddie’s Hidden Ledger: A CFO’s Confession Read More »
Crime, MemoirsStatistical Shell Game: How NYPD’s Data Manipulation Obscures Rising Violence While Racial Disparities Remain Hidden CompStat—the New York Police Department’s comprehensive crime tracking and analysis system—has become a political weapon for Mayor Eric Adams, systematically manipulated to present a false narrative of declining urban crime. Last week, we exposed the NYPD’s troubling manipulation of murder statistics, but the story goes
NYPD’s Statistical Manipulation and Racial Disparities in NYC Crime Read More »
Corruption, Crime