More than twenty two thousand dollars was reported as rent for a Brooklyn location listed as a campaign office. That location was a hair salon. There was no signage no staff and no campaign activity ever documented. Federal records show the address was filed as an operational office despite no evidence it functioned as one.

The situation escalated after the same hairdresser was federally indicted in late 2025 on charges of bank fraud and identity theft tied to a fraudulent vehicle loan. That indictment triggered investigators to reopen James's campaign finance records and examine whether donor money was routed to personal contacts.