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

nbcphiladelphia.com · 9h · first reportShare

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. 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