On Tuesday, September 15, a federal judge did something courts almost never do to an elected prosecutor: he referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and one of his assistants to the U.S. Department of Justice for possible perjury, false statements, obstruction of justice and conspiracy, and threw Krasner’s office off the murder appeal that started it all. The men who put him there were his own prosecutors, who told the court Krasner had ordered them to “protect the office.”
Story Highlights
- September 15: U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond referred Krasner and an assistant district attorney to federal prosecutors “for investigation and other appropriate action” and removed the office from the post-conviction case of Dennis Johnson.
- The judge wrote that conduct described in recent evidentiary hearings could amount to perjury, false statements, obstruction, and conspiracy.
- Two assistant DAs, Katherine Ernst and Steven J. Wildberger, had testified that Krasner warned of “consequences” for alerting judges to conflicts and told them to “protect the office.”
- Krasner says he “respectfully and vigorously” disagrees and will appeal as soon as the law allows.
Where This Stands Right Now
The referral is not a charge. The Justice Department will decide whether to open a probe, and Krasner, who has run the nation’s sixth-largest city’s prosecutions since 2018, says the pending case limits what he can say. But the disqualification is immediate: as of this week his office no longer controls the Johnson appeal, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office had already asked the court to take it away, and the judge’s language about truthfulness is now part of the public record of a man whose job is to decide who gets prosecuted.
What The Judge Decided And Why It Matters
Judge Diamond tied his concerns to testimony and filings from the Johnson hearings, not to politics. Judicial referrals of elected prosecutors are rare; courts usually reserve them for serious issues like conflicts of interest or possible misconduct, not normal strategy fights. That makes this move notable for people across the political spectrum who worry that insiders protect their own. He then took the extra step of disqualifying Krasner’s office from the case altogether.
Key Allegations Raised Inside The DA’s Office
Ernst and Wildberger earlier told the court that Krasner warned of “consequences” for alerting judges to conflict issues in the Johnson matter. They said he told them to “protect the office” as they pushed to hand the appeal to the state attorney general. Their filing suggested the office’s interests clashed with its duty in court. Those claims put a spotlight on internal pressure and possible conflicts in a high-stakes review.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office later filed briefs asking that Krasner’s office be removed from the case. That request signaled concern beyond internal dissent. It showed another law enforcement body questioned whether the district attorney’s office could act as a fair advocate in Johnson’s case, given what the hearings had revealed.
How Krasner Responded And What Comes Next
Krasner said he “respectfully and vigorously” disagrees with the court’s findings and conclusions and plans to appeal. His office has described the two prosecutors’ accusations as “ill-informed” and said they lacked firsthand knowledge after being removed from the case.
A Federal judge refers Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner to DOJ for criminal investigation
U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond disqualified both Krasner and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Stiegler from a post-conviction case involving Dennis Johnson, who is seeking to overturn… pic.twitter.com/A9mW564nYZ
— ❣️Anne❣️ (@USA_Anne711) September 15, 2026
The Justice Department will decide whether to open a probe or take no action. Either way, the judge’s language and the disqualification order mark a serious warning shot about truthfulness and conflicts inside a powerful office that controls life and liberty decisions every day.
Why This Resonates With Voters Tired Of Excuses
People on the right and left see a pattern: leaders say they serve justice, but insiders too often shield the institution. This case strikes that nerve. A federal judge pointed to possible perjury and obstruction while removing an elected prosecutor from a case. If the facts bear out, it shows how “protect the office” can eclipse “seek the truth.” If not, the referral still reveals how deep distrust has grown inside our justice system’s own ranks.
Sources:
foxnews.com, cbsnews.com, whyy.org, inquirer.com
