Philly DA Krasner calls judge's DOJ referral ‘virtually unprecedented' – NBC10 Philadelphia

Philly DA Krasner calls judge’s DOJ referral ‘virtually unprecedented’  NBC10 Philadelphia

Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner called a judge’s referral of possible charges against him and an assistant district attorney “virtually unprecedented." Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner called a judge’s referral of possible charges against him and an assistant district attorney “virtually unprecedented” as he asked the judge to recuse himself. Two weeks ago, U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond said he was referring Krasner, a Democrat, and former Conviction Integrity Unit chief Matthew Stiegler to the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations they may have broken the law. Stream Philadelphia News for free, 24/7, wherever you are with NBC10. The ruling stems from a federal case involving Dennis Johnson, who was convicted in 2009 of killing Kenyatta Smith.

In 2022, the District Attorney's Office filed court documents stating that Johnson was entitled to habeas relief based on ineffective assistance of counsel. Beginning in May, Diamond, who was appointed in 2004 by then-President George W. Bush, held a series of evidentiary hearings that included testimony about potential conflicts of interest within the District Attorney's Office. According to court documents, four employees in Krasner's office rejected a proposal they viewed as inappropriate and told Krasner that the case should be referred to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office because they believed conflicts of interest had developed following the involvement of a supervisor. In documents filed