Federal judge refers Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner to DOJ for criminal investigation

A federal judge Tuesday referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to the U.S. Department of Justice, alleging the prosecutor may have broken the law while overseeing a post-conviction case involving Dennis Johnson.

Krasner and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Stiegler were disqualified from participating in the case, U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond wrote in a memorandum. Johnson is seeking to have his 2009 second-degree murder conviction overturned.

Diamond recommended the DOJ investigate whether Krasner committed any crimes, including perjury and obstruction of justice, according to court documents.

Diamond began in May to hold evidentiary hearings that included testimony about potential conflicts of interest within the DA's office.

Court documents show four employees rejected a proposal that they believed was inappropriate. They allegedly told Krasner the case should be directed to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office over conflicts of interest involving Stiegler, court documents show.

Krasner opposed, claiming that the DAO needs to stay involved in the Johnson case to "protect the office," court documents show.

According to court documents, the four employees said protecting the office was a conflict of interest in itself, saying prosecutors should focus on the merits of the case.

Diamond called Krasner's alleged actions in the case "troubling" in court documents.

"I respectfully and vigorously disagree with the court's findings of fact and conclusions of law," Krasner said in a statement. "I look forward to appealing to the higher court as soon as the law allows. This remains a pending matter, which limits for now my and my office's ability to respond in the media."

The United States Attorney's Office declined comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.