PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has been referred to the U.S. Department of Justice for a possible criminal investigation after a federal judge indicated that he and one of his top subordinates may have committed perjury, made false statements, and obstructed justice.
The decision was made by Federal Judge Paul S. Diamond and
is related to a post-conviction case involving Dennis Johnson, who is seeking
to overturn a second-degree murder conviction from a 2009 case.
According to court documents, Diamond questioned the actions
of Krasner and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Stiegler during the
prosecution of the case. The judge stated that there were indications that
members of the prosecution may have been pressured to present certain versions
of events and that subsequent statements were made that did not align with the
available evidence.
The judge also recused Krasner and Stiegler from the case
due to a conflict of interest arising from the allegations.
The controversy stems from a 2022 petition filed by the
Philadelphia District Attorney's Office seeking federal redress for Johnson
related to his conviction. Disagreements subsequently arose regarding how the
case file was prepared and the instructions given to some prosecutors.
According to the Associated Press, the judge deemed the
circumstances sufficiently troubling to request the Justice Department to
determine whether to initiate a criminal investigation. The U.S. Attorney's
Office has not yet announced whether it will file charges.
Krasner has rejected the judge's findings and indicated that
he intends to appeal the decision. His office has also challenged allegations
made by former members of the U.S. Attorney's Office in connection with the
case.