Overview
- U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond disqualified Larry Krasner and Assistant DA Matthew Stiegler and on Tuesday referred them and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office to the U.S. Attorney’s Office after saying their conduct could amount to false statements, perjury, obstruction and conspiracy.
- Diamond found that Stiegler decided to back overturning Dennis Johnson’s conviction before assigning the matter, that junior ADA Jaclyn Mason filed the support memo without an independent investigation, and that Krasner endorsed a plan to blame Mason rather than disclose broader office involvement.
- The court deferred a final decision on Johnson’s habeas petition and allowed the DAO to remain involved only if a different prosecutor is appointed and is supervised independently of Krasner.
- Krasner immediately disputed the ruling and said he will appeal, and the referral does not itself bring criminal charges or confirm that federal prosecutors have opened an investigation.
- The episode intensifies scrutiny of Krasner’s reform-minded tenure, could prompt a formal federal inquiry into prosecutorial conduct in post-conviction advocacy, and directly affects Dennis Johnson’s bid to overturn his 2009 conviction.