Thursday's disclosures, which come from sources with insight into the federal grand jury's ruling, mean that James may be formally charged with the suspected crime of providing false information in a purchase agreement for a relative's property purchase.
James became known when she successfully pursued a lawsuit against Donald Trump and his company. Trump was accused of lying to banks and other financial institutions about his own companies' assets. He was convicted in the fall of 2023 and sentenced to pay billions, but the sentence was overturned by an appeals court in August.
The formal charge against James is brought in the Eastern District of Virginia, and comes two weeks after former FBI chief James Comey was charged by the Justice Department for committing perjury in a congressional hearing. Trump and his administration are accused of revenge on political opponents, among others by the Democrats in the US Congress.
