The U.S. Department of Justice has sent grand jury subpoenas to the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner as part of an investigation into possible obstruction of justice, according to Fox News, which cited two sources briefed on the matter.
The subpoenas arrived in recent days and stem from a criminal referral made last month by U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, who flagged potential wrongdoing by Krasner and one of his top deputies, Matthew Stiegler.
Diamond referred the two men to federal prosecutors on September 15 after finding evidence suggesting Krasner’s office may have lied to the court and interfered with a case involving a convicted murderer. The judge said the evidence could point to false statements, perjury, obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
“I have thus reluctantly concluded that Philadelphia’s highest law enforcement official and one of his top assistants may have violated the law,” Diamond wrote.
The underlying case involves Dennis Johnson, who was convicted of murder in 2009. In 2022, Krasner’s office agreed that Johnson deserved a chance to challenge his conviction after determining his original attorney had provided ineffective counsel.
According to Diamond’s findings, prosecutors within Krasner’s office had warned of a conflict of interest and recommended the case be transferred to the state attorney general. Krasner resisted that recommendation. The judge found that Krasner pressured his staff to lie to the court and warned there would be “consequences” if they spoke up.
Neither Krasner nor Stiegler has been charged with a crime. The Department of Justice has not commented on the subpoenas.
