Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner’s office faces subpoenas after judicial referral
The Justice Department recently sent grand jury subpoenas to Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office following a federal judge’s referral for a possible criminal investigation, a source familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday. The subpoenas concern possible obstruction of justice in the handling of cases before federal judges, the source […]
The Justice Department recently sent grand jury subpoenas to Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office following a federal judge’s referral for a possible criminal investigation, a source familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
The subpoenas concern possible obstruction of justice in the handling of cases before federal judges, the source said. They stemmed from U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond’s referral of Krasner and senior assistant Matthew Stiegler to federal prosecutors over their office’s handling of a challenge to a murder conviction.
” data-large-file=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/philadelphia-da-larry-krasners-office-faces-subpoenas-after-judicial-referral.webp” src=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/philadelphia-da-larry-krasners-office-faces-subpoenas-after-judicial-referral.webp” alt=”Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks during a primary election night event in Philadelphia, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)” class=”wp-image-4657452″ srcset=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/philadelphia-da-larry-krasners-office-faces-subpoenas-after-judicial-referral.webp 1024w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/philadelphia-da-larry-krasners-office-faces-subpoenas-after-judicial-referral.webp?resize=300,200 300w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/philadelphia-da-larry-krasners-office-faces-subpoenas-after-judicial-referral.webp?resize=768,512 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks during a primary election night event in Philadelphia, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Diamond, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Sept. 15, identifying possible offenses including false statements, perjury, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy. Neither Krasner nor Stiegler has been charged.
“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 at the time.
Krasner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Washington Examiner also contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Fox News first reported the subpoenas on Tuesday morning, citing two sources briefed on the matter.
The dispute centers on Dennis Johnson, whom a jury convicted in 2009 of second-degree murder, robbery, and a firearms offense in the killing of Kenyatta Smith. Two witnesses at trial identified Johnson as the shooter.
Johnson sought federal relief in 2015 and later amended his petition, presenting recanted testimony and statements implicating another man. Krasner’s office supported overturning the conviction in November 2022, arguing that Johnson’s trial lawyer failed to object to a detective’s testimony relaying another witness’s identification.
A magistrate judge recommended granting relief in 2023. After Diamond scheduled an evidentiary hearing in May 2026, the district attorney’s office sought to withdraw its position because its filing contained “material misstatements.”
Diamond found that Stiegler had decided to support overturning the conviction before assigning the case to then-Assistant District Attorney Jaclyn Mason, who prepared the filing without independently investigating the evidence.
The judge found that Stiegler later proposed blaming Mason alone for the errors and portraying her as a rogue prosecutor. He found the district attorney endorsed that approach and pressed four supervisors to carry it out, according to Diamond.
“Mr. Krasner did not simply learn of the Stiegler proposal; he urged the Law Division supervisors … to implement it and to present a false narrative to the Court,” Diamond wrote.
The supervisors refused and urged Krasner to transfer the case to the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office. Diamond found that Krasner insisted someone from his office remain involved to “protect the office” and threatened “consequences” if prosecutors alerted the court to the conflicts.
Diamond disqualified Krasner and Stiegler from the case, finding that their personal interests conflicted with their responsibilities as prosecutors. He declined to disqualify the entire district attorney’s office and deferred a decision on Johnson’s petition in his September ruling.
Krasner disputed the judge’s findings at the time.
“I respectfully and vigorously disagree with the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law,” Krasner said last month. “I look forward to appealing to the higher court as soon as the law allows.”
Last week, the judge rebuffed a request from Krasner’s office to have him recused from the case and separately renewed his call for Krasner’s office to be investigated by the local U.S. attorney’s office, according to a Law.com report.
Krasner’s campaigns drew financial backing from billionaire Democratic donor George Soros, who provided nearly $1.7 million to an independent political action committee supporting his first run in 2017. Soros gave another $259,000 in 2021 to a separate committee supporting Krasner’s reelection, according to campaign finance filings reported by thePhiladelphia Inquirer.
The Trump administration has made challenging sanctuary policies a priority, suing New York City over restrictions on cooperation with federal immigration authorities and warning Philadelphia officials that their policies could prompt legal action.
Krasner’s case adds an entirely separate pressure point to the Democratic prosecutor, with the extraordinary circumstance of a federal judge disqualifying the city’s chief prosecutor and referring him for possible criminal investigation.
