A federal judge on Tuesday asked federal prosecutors to investigate Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for obstructing justice in his handling of a post-conviction case and possibly committing other crimes.
The memorandum by U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond Jr. represents an unusual turn of events in the controversy over Krasner’s Conviction Integrity Division. The ruling was issued as part of a case involving a man seeking to overturn his second-degree murder conviction.
Mr. Krasner’s office supports efforts to exonerate Dennis Johnson. But prosecutors who handled the case said their handling of the case was inadequate and ordered Krasner to “protect the office” after the court opened an investigation into their conduct.
Diamond ruled that Krasner and his attorney, Matthew Stigler, can no longer participate in the lawsuit. He said there was evidence they may have attempted to obstruct justice and that they tried to persuade four prosecutors in the office to “promote the court to accept a false story,” which amounted to a “criminal conspiracy.”
“Thus, I have reluctantly concluded that Philadelphia’s top law enforcement official and one of his top aides may have violated the law,” Diamond said in the memo. “In these circumstances, by issuing this memorandum, I am referring the DAO, Mr. Krasner, and Mr. Stigler to the United States Attorney’s Office for this District for investigation and other appropriate action.”
Mr. Krasner disputed the judge’s memo.
“I respect the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law and firmly disagree,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to filing an appeal with the higher court as soon as the law allows. As this matter remains pending, my office and my office’s ability to respond to the media is limited at this time.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania declined to comment.
Krasner, a former civil rights lawyer known for suing police, took over the district attorney’s office in 2018. Since he was re-elected for a second time last year, his office has faced intense scrutiny over its handling of post-conviction cases.
Pennsylvania’s attorney general and state and federal judges have criticized Krasner’s office for pushing to overturn murder convictions without proper review.
Over the summer, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered the state attorney general to review any cases in which Mr. Krasner’s office sought to overturn convictions.
Mr. Krasner defended his office’s handling of the case.