Federal Judge Refers Philadelphia DA to DOJ for Criminal Investigation

A federal judge has referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and a top deputy to the U.S. Department of Justice for a criminal investigation, citing testimony that they may have committed perjury, obstruction of justice, and other potential crimes in the handling of a murder case. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond issued the referral in a 40-page memorandum on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, following evidentiary hearings into the office's actions in the federal habeas petition of Dennis Johnson, who is seeking to overturn his 2009 second-degree murder conviction. In the memorandum, Judge Diamond stated he reluctantly concluded that Krasner and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Stiegler "may have violated the law." The judge disqualified both men from further participation in the Johnson case but did not remove the entire District Attorney's Office from the matter. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has not commented on whether it will open a formal investigation. The referral stems from testimony about internal conflicts within the District Attorney's Office.