Virginia Prosecutor Fired Over Evidence Misconduct in Letitia James Fraud Investigation

Elizabeth Yusi, an Assistant US Attorney in Virginia, was fired for allegedly mishandling case evidence by sending documents containing New York Attorney General Letitia James' personal information to her personal email, a claim her lawyer denies. Yusi had opposed filing bank fraud and false statement charges against James related to a 2020 property transaction and authored an internal memo explaining insufficient evidence for prosecution. Her dismissal, along with another prosecutor who resisted criminal charges against James, highlighted internal conflict within the Virginia federal prosecutor's office, where political appointees loyal to President Trump pushed for the indictment. Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-appointed interim US Attorney, subsequently filed the indictment herself and expressed concerns about leaks within the office. While sharing investigative evidence is generally not illegal, it violates Department of Justice policy, which factored into Yusi's firing amid accusations of unauthorized disclosures. The controversy underscores tensions between career prosecutors and political appointees in high-profile politically charged cases.