Federal grand jury subpoenas have been served on the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, Fox News reported Friday, following a federal judge's formal referral of Krasner and a top deputy to the Justice Department for possible criminal investigation. Two sources briefed on the subpoenas told Fox News the demands relate to potential obstruction of justice in the handling of cases before federal judges.
The subpoenas were issued in recent days, according to the network's reporting. Neither Krasner's office nor the DOJ would comment. A request for comment from the DA's office was not immediately returned.
The referral came from U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond, who more than a month ago wrote that "I have thus reluctantly concluded that Philadelphia's highest law enforcement official and one of his top assistants may have violated the law." Diamond pointed to evidence he said could constitute false statements, perjury, obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
The matter grew out of the 2009 murder conviction of Dennis Johnson in the killing of Kenyatta Smith. According to reporting from the Associated Press, Krasner's office acknowledged in a 2022 filing that Johnson was entitled to habeas relief over ineffective assistance of counsel. But Judge Diamond's opinion describes Krasner opposing that move and repeatedly insisting someone from his office remain involved to "protect the office."
Former Assistant District Attorney Jaclyn Mason initially handled the case, but after supervisors said her brief contained errors, she quit and alleged that former supervisor Matthew Stiegler — Krasner's deputy — pressured her to file a faulty brief. The supervisors rejected the plan, and in the dispute over next steps, Diamond wrote that Krasner wanted no outside involvement in order to "protect the office" and "control the proceedings.
"Like Stiegler, Mr. Krasner wanted the DAO to submit a false narrative to the Court," Diamond wrote, referring to the district attorney's office. The judge added: "The prosecutor's duty is to vindicate the interest of the Commonwealth, not the interest of any particular individual."
Krasner, who was decisively reelected to a third term in 2025, pushed back at the time. "I respectfully and vigorously disagree with the court's findings of fact and conclusions of law," he said in a statement. "I look forward to appealing to the higher court as soon as the law allows. This remains a pending matter, which limits for now my and my office's ability to respond in the media."
The subpoenas add federal pressure to a prosecutor who has long been a lightning rod. According to WHYY-TV, Krasner's first campaign benefited from $1.7 million in spending by groups backed by George Soros, and the Daily Signal reported that Soros funds assisted his 2021 reelection effort. Conservative outlets have seized on the connection, with the Gateway Pundit posting on X: "JUST IN: DOJ Sends Soros-Backed Philly DA Larry Krasner Grand Jury Subpoenas in Federal Criminal Investigation After Judge Accused Him of Providing False Information to the Court."
Former federal prosecutor Cully Stimson of the Heritage Foundation, speaking in an interview circulated with the Fox News report, warned that Krasner could face prison time over the allegations.
No charges have been filed against Krasner or Stiegler. It is not yet known what specific records or testimony the grand jury is seeking, or whether the investigation will expand beyond the Johnson case.
Our Take
For years, Americans watched progressive prosecutors get elected on piles of out-of-state cash, then act as if the law was something they could bend to their own preferences. Larry Krasner was the model. Now a federal judge — a career jurist, not a talk-radio host — has put in writing that Philadelphia's top law enforcement official may have violated the very laws he swore to enforce.
The subpoenas mean this is no longer a war of press releases. A grand jury is pulling records and testimony from Krasner's own office. If the allegations hold up, the man who lectures the country about justice from the DA's podium was allegedly threatening his own staff with "consequences" to keep a false story in front of a federal court. That is not criminal justice reform. That is protecting an institution at the expense of a murder victim's family and the truth.
Patriots should watch two things in the coming weeks: whether the DOJ follows the evidence wherever it leads — including the Soros machine that bankrolled this experiment — and whether Philadelphia's leaders finally admit that soft-on-crime prosecution has a cost paid in blood. The subpoena is a start. Justice would be a courtroom.
