Three strikes and the DOJ’s out. 

A federal grand jury in Virginia has again refused to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, dealing a major blow to a high-profile mortgage fraud case.

The New York Times shares, this is the second time in a week that jurors have declined to bring new charges against James, which captures the growing skepticism about the Justice Department’s efforts to keep the case alive.​

The decision came Thursday in Alexandria, Va., where jurors rejected prosecutors’ effort to revive allegations that accused James of misleading a lender when she purchased a three-bedroom home in Norfolk, Va. 

Prosecutors argued that James improperly claimed the property as her second residence. This apparently helped her secure more favorable mortgage terms than she could have obtained for an investment property.​ 

Just days earlier, a separate federal grand jury in a Norfolk courtroom also refused to indict James on the same theory, following a judge’s decision to toss her original indictment last month over problems with the prosecutor’s appointment. 

However, in that particular ruling, it was found that the federal prosecutor who brought the first case had been improperly installed. This forced the DOJ to regroup before trying again with a new panel.​ 

In a statement shared by the NYT, James’s lawyer, Abbe D. Lowell, made it clear the case was weak from the beginning, noting the second rejection made it “even clearer that this case should never have seen the light of day.”

“This case already has been a stain on this department’s reputation and raises troubling questions about its integrity,” he said. “Any further attempt to revive these discredited charges would be a mockery of our system of justice.”

Through this entire ordeal, James has consistently denied any wrongdoing.