Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) was hit with a federal criminal referral for alleged mortgage and tax fraud related to his purchase of a $1.2 million home in Washington, DC, that he claimed as a primary residence, according to a source familiar with the referral. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte requested an investigation of Swalwell based on allegedly false and misleading statements he made about the purchase, the source said. The California Democrat was able to secure millions of dollars’ worth of loans and refinancing based on the primary residence declaration in DC. The designation could constitute mortgage fraud, insurance fraud and state and local tax fraud, among other charges, the source noted. In addition to the Department of Justice criminal referral, FHFA’s inspector general is probing the alleged mortgage fraud. Swalwell responded in a statement, “Like James Comey and John Bolton, Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, Letitia James and the dozens more to come – I refuse to live in fear in what was once the freest country in the world,” adding that he will not end his lawsuit against Trump and will not stop speaking out against the president.
