Story thread · 5 reports / 5 sources

Federal judge refers Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner to DOJ for investigation

nbcphiladelphia.com · 6h · first reportShare

A federal judge said Tuesday he was referring Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that Krasner may have broken the law. 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, U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond 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 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. Krasner strongly opposed sending the case to the Attorney General’