Federal prosecutors have sent grand jury subpoenas to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office, escalating a legal crisis that began when a federal judge accused the city's top prosecutor and a key deputy of potentially committing crimes while fighting over the fate of a man convicted in a 2009 murder. The subpoenas, issued to the DA's office, seek information related to possible obstruction of justice, perjury and conspiracy tied to the relitigation of the case, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The inquiry traces back to a September memorandum from U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, who disqualified Krasner and Stiegler from the habeas case of Dennis Johnson, referred Krasner to the Justice Department and recommended investigating whether he committed crimes, according to Spotlight PA. In the 40-page memo, Diamond cited credible evidence of potential perjury, false statements under oath, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Fox News was among the outlets that reported on the inquiry, per the New York Post's own account of the subpoenas, which was first reported by the New York Post.
Johnson was convicted by a Philadelphia jury in September 2009 of second-degree murder, robbery and firearms charges in the 2007 fatal shooting of Kenyatta Smith outside a North Philadelphia convenience store during what prosecutors described as a botched robbery, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. He received a life sentence and pursued multiple unsuccessful state appeals before filing a federal habeas corpus petition in 2016. In November 2022, Krasner's office filed a petition seeking Johnson's release, claiming he had received inadequate counsel at trial.
A Botched Filing and a Blame Game
That 2022 petition unraveled this year. In June 2026, Krasner's office moved to withdraw it, citing material misstatements in the filing. According to the New York Post's reporting on the matter, Krasner and Stiegler allegedly sought to pin those misstatements on former Assistant District Attorney Jaclyn Mason, who had since resigned.
Mason testified in federal court in July 2026 that Stiegler used her as a “scribe” and “pawn” to file the 2022 brief without conducting an independent investigation, and that she refused to participate in an internal attempt to make her take sole blame for the errors, according to KYW Newsradio. Assistant District Attorneys Katie Ernst and Steven Wildberger went further in a July court notice, alleging Krasner directed them to litigate the Johnson appeal to “protect the office” and threatened “consequences” if staff alerted the court to internal conflicts of interest, per the Davis Vanguard. Ernst testified that Krasner angrily rejected her recommendations to transfer the case to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
When line prosecutors suggested referring the matter to the state Attorney General's office, Krasner reportedly responded, “We can't send it to OAG because essentially they're all evil,” adding, “We have to have somebody in the room, in the courtroom to protect the office,” according to the New York Post's reporting. Judge Diamond ultimately concluded that Philadelphia's highest law enforcement official and a top assistant may have violated the law.
State Oversight Already Flagged Problems
The federal court fight didn't emerge in a vacuum. During June 2026 filings, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General criticized omissions in the DA's Office motion to withdraw the Johnson petition, according to Big Trial. Diamond later ordered sworn testimony from DA supervisors.
The state's top court has since moved to tighten oversight of Krasner's office more broadly. In Commonwealth v. Brown, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered the Attorney General to review cases in which the Philadelphia DA's Office sided with a defendant and agreed to overturn a conviction, according to court filings reviewed by Justia.
Soros Money, a Third Term and a Political Target
Krasner is serving his third term as district attorney, having won his initial 2017 election with millions of dollars in support from a George Soros-backed political action committee, according to the New York Post's reporting. His office has also become a recurring target of federal legislative scrutiny; in July 2026, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan issued a congressional subpoena to Krasner over the office's sanctuary city policies and prosecutorial practices, a dispute Krasner publicly challenged, as Hoodline reported at the time.
The current federal scrutiny also follows years of political friction in Harrisburg. The Republican-led state House impeached Krasner in November 2022 over alleged misbehavior in office, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court dismissed those articles of impeachment in September 2024 on procedural grounds after the legislative session expired, leaving the underlying allegations unresolved, according to Spotlight PA.
Krasner's representatives did not respond to a request for comment, the New York Post reported. The dispute arrives alongside a tension Hoodline has previously flagged in related coverage: Krasner's Conviction Integrity Unit faces federal judicial scrutiny.
What Comes Next
Grand jury subpoenas represent an investigative step rather than formal criminal charges, but local Democratic leaders have reportedly begun discussing contingency plans following Judge Diamond's referral.
