The tenant living in the Virginia house at the center of New York Attorney General Letitia James’s federal indictment is a ‘fugitive’ from justice, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
James has reportedly allowed her grandniece Nakia Thompson – along with Thompson’s three children – to live in the three-bedroom property in Norfolk since 2020.
Now, in an embarrassing twist for Donald Trump‘s nemesis, Daily Mail has discovered that Thompson is officially listed as an ‘absconder’ who is being sought by authorities in North Carolina for failing to finish her probation.
‘Ms Thompson was sentenced to probation for misdemeanor convictions for assault and battery and trespassing, and has willfully avoided probation supervision,’ Keith Acree, communications director for the North Carolina Department of Corrections told Daily Mail.
‘An absconder is considered a fugitive,’ Acree added. ‘Thompson faces arrest if she is located in North Carolina.’ He said her crimes of assault and trespass are considered ‘non-extraditable’ due to their low level.
The 36-year-old told a grand jury in June that she had been living rent-free at James’s home – now valued at $235,000 – since the Attorney General bought it, claiming that James pays for even basic upkeep, the New York Times reported.
James was indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia on charges of bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution in regard to securing a mortgage for the home. James has denied any misconduct.
Exclusive Daily Mail photos show Halloween decorations on display and buckets from the home improvement store Lowe’s on the porch of the house, suggesting it has been recently spruced up.
Embattled New York attorney general Letitia James has allowed her grandniece to live at the Virginia property at the center of her mortgage fraud scandal, Daily Mail can reveal
Nakia Thompson, 36 – pictured on Saturday – has been living at James’s Norfolk home with her kids since 2020. Public records reveal she is officially listed as an ‘absconder’ in North Carolina after failing to complete her probation
On the NCDC website is an appeal for information leading to Thompson’s whereabouts, along with a mugshot and an offender number – 0898340.
During her time at New York state’s top prosecutor, James has championed her work bringing fugitives to justice, including the extradition from Pakistan of a Medicaid fraud ringleader.
She also famously persuaded a New York judge to find Donald Trump liable for fraud in a civil case in February 2024, although an appeals court threw out the massive financial penalty of over $450million while upholding the finding that the president committed fraud.
Her supporters have claimed that it was her sweeping civil case that made Trump seek vengeance against her.
Their claims were bolstered after he accidentally posted a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on his Truth Social account, expressing frustration that ‘nothing is being done’ to his foes.
‘What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia???’ he wrote. ‘They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.
‘We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!’, his post concluded.
Sources previously told CNN that Bondi was caught off guard when Trump’s handpicked US attorney, Lindsey Halligan, brought the indictment against James.
James is currently in hot water after being accused of claiming the three-bed, one-bath property she bought for $109,000 was a ‘second home’ in loan documents, but then listing it as an ‘investment’ in financial disclosure forms
Thompson, who has decorated the home for Halloween, has been living there rent-free, she is said to have told the grand jury in her great-aunt’s mortgage fraud case
Thompson herself was spotted checking the mailbox at the home before heading out
Halligan reportedly did not coordinate with Bondi or other leaders at the Justice Department, or inform them about timing before presenting the case to a grand jury.
Last month Trump replaced Erik Siebert, the US Attorney in Eastern Virginia, who chose to resign rather than press charges against James.
The yellow two-story home is in an up-and-coming area of Norfolk just a short drive from the coastal waterfront favored by families on vacation.
When approached by Daily Mail, Thompson simply said ‘no comment’, before bizarrely adding that she was ‘very much in college, and very much a graduate’.
Before moving to James’s home in 2020 – which the prosecutor had purchased for $109,000 – Thompson had a string of brushes with the law in Virginia and North Carolina, records show.
In 2005 she was placed on probation in Forsyth County, North Carolina, for simple assault, and the following year was handed a suspended sentence for two counts of assault against a government official, according to NCDC.
In 2011, she was given a suspended sentence for assault and battery and second-degree trespass, again by a court in Forsyth County.
This appears to have been the offense for which Thompson became an ‘absconder’.
Public records show Thompson – whose first name is misspelt on the NCDC website – is officially listed as an absconder from probation
Her previous offenses include misdemeanors for assault and battery and second degree trespass in 2011
Forsyth County records also show a simple assault offense from May 2005
According to the North Carolina Department of Corrections website, around 80,000 people in the state are serving community ‘supervision’ meaning they had a probation sentence or a term of parole.
When absconders are caught they may face a ‘variety of consequences ranging from extension or revocation of their probation to a possible return to prison for those serving parole or post-release supervision requirements,’ the website states.
Despite fleeing her criminal history in North Carolina, Thompson continued having issues with the law after moving to Virginia.
In August 2019 she was arrested on grand larceny and petit larceny charges and given two years’ probation and ordered to pay $2,020 in costs after pleading guilty.
She was also charged with possession of burglary tools – a felony – but that charge was dropped.
Virginia court records state that she faced more than a dozen driving cases including speeding, driving with her license revoked and a safety belt violation.
In June last year she was found guilty in absentia and fined $50 for failing to have a proper child restraint in her car. In July this year, she was charged with four misdemeanors in a single day.
If convicted, James could face up to 30 years in prison for charges related to bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution, and fines up to $1million
Trump has long sought retribution against longtime political nemesis Letitia James which has now come in the form of the indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia by US Attorney Lindsey Halligan
She was fined $244 and ordered to pay $101 in costs for doing 80 mph in a 55mph zone.
Thompson admitted improperly stopping a vehicle on a highway and was ordered to pay another $45 in fines and costs.
She was also found guilty of failing to have her vehicle inspected and having an expired registration.
Among the other matters she has dealt with are marijuana possession – which was dismissed – and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The charge often relates to actions or inactions by a parent that allow their child to get into trouble with the law, e.g., staying out past curfew and being arrested.
In Thompson’s case, the charges were eventually dismissed. On her Facebook page, the mother appears to make light of her criminality.
One post shows blood splattered on a black background and the words: ‘Nik Nak’s crime: grand larceny’ – a crime she was actually charged with.
A caption on a picture of her read: ‘Nik has a very low tolerance for b*******’. Another post asks: ‘What type of b**** are you?’ And she replies: ‘The aggressive b****’
Thompson’s social media posts appear to make light of her criminal past. In 2020 she shared a post stating her crime as ‘grand larceny’ along with her selfie
She also shared a bizarre meme post in which she appears to be having a text conversation with Trump – or an account pretending to be him
Other posts include a picture of a marijuana leaf with the caption: ‘Never underestimate the wisdom of a stoner.’
Thompson has also reposted some text which reads: ‘Yea I f***** up, did some f***** up s***. Made some f***** up decisions. Did some s*** I regret’.
In a bizarre post she appears to be having a text conversation with Trump – or an account pretending to be him – who tells her: ‘That f***** perfect smile is all thanks to me, I know. You’re welcome’.
Thompson wrote next to it: ‘Wow (two laugh emojis) and uhh no’.
According to her LinkedIn page, Thompson has worked in various jobs including a debt collections representative, a stocker at Walmart and a cashier at Wendy’s.
In 2018 she worked for James’s campaign for four months as a ‘seasonal representative’, the profile states.
A five-page indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia last week accused James of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with the property purchase.
Prosecutors allege James misrepresented the house as a ‘second home’ in loan papers in 2020 to secure a cheaper interest rate.
The alleged discrepancy was laid bare in a financial disclosure form that James, filed that same year, which listed the same property as an ‘investment’ – a detail now central to the charges that, if convicted, could potentially land her behind bars for up to 30 years with a fine of up to $1million.
By misrepresenting the property, prosecutors allege, James was able to avoid a 0.815 percent higher loan rate, allowing her to save $17,837 and pocket $3,288 in seller credits.
A source told the New York Times that James would go to the Norfolk house for an extended stay several times a year. Thompson’s mother also lives nearby in a property owned by James.
The indictment says that while James indicated to her mortgage broker that she expected to use the house as a second home, she had instead used it as a ‘rental investment property, renting the property to a family.’
James has strongly denied the mortgage fraud allegations against her and called them ‘baseless’.
The Daily Mail has contacted her office and her lawyers for comment on her niece’s absconder status.
