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Embattled New York Attorney General Letitia James better mend fences — or pay up.
On October 8, James is scheduled to appear in front of an administrative law judge, where she could be fined up to $500 for a fence standing at 5 feet 6 inches in front of her multi-family residence located in the Clinton Hill Historic District. This property is currently under scrutiny due to a federal mortgage fraud investigation.
Records indicate that on July 23, the city Buildings Department issued a summons to the politician, known for her far-left stance, after receiving at least three anonymous complaints since April. These complaints alleged that the black iron fence exceeded the city’s 4-foot height limit.
City Councilman Robert Holden stated that New Yorkers have grown weary of double standards. He emphasized that all public officials, James included, should adhere to the regulations just like any other homeowner in New York City.
“If the DOB summons and mortgage questions are accurate, Attorney General Letitia James should bring the fence into compliance, pay any penalties, and be fully transparent, because no one is above the law,” added the moderate Queens Democrat.
James can avoid fines if she removes the fence or lowers it to a legal height, by Sept. 26.
Residents on the tree-lined block nestled between St. James Place and Grand Avenue said they were unaware James was breaking any rules, including one woman who insisted James inherited the fence when she purchased the 120-year-old brownstone in 2001.
The longtime neighbor also pointed to at least one other home on the block with a high fence that hadn’t been ticketed.
The U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating allegations James committed mortgage fraud by falsifying records to receive favorable loan terms on the Clinton Hill property and another she co-owns in Virginia with a niece.
She’s slammed the fraud allegations as “baseless” and claimed they were a direct result of her long history of legal battles with President Trump.
James is also late paying an annual $13 property registration fee required by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development on the Brooklyn home, records show.
James did not return messages.