Federal Judge Disqualifies, Accuses Top Soros DA Of Possibly Committing A Crime For Trying To Free Murderer

By Derek Vanbuskirk

A federal judge disqualified Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and a top supervisor from a pending murder case after accusing both of “possible criminal wrongdoing” and referring them for federal investigation, court documents show.

The disqualification of Krasner and Matthew Stiegler, chief of the DA office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, was issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond over severe conflicts of interest and alleged cover-ups surrounding the handling of a habeas corpus petition for a convicted murderer. (RELATED: Soros-Funded DA Takes Aim At Task Force Bringing Peace, Transparency To Major City)

Diamond detailed the potential criminal conduct, including possible perjury and obstruction, in an accompanying memorandum.

In the 40-page memo, Diamond said Stiegler’s testimony during the court hearings was “contradictory, evasive, or outright dishonest” and contained “material omissions and falsehoods” regarding how the office handled the flawed habeas concession.

Diamond said Stiegler attempted to scapegoat former Assistant District Attorney Jaclyn Mason to shield the office’s leadership.

They allegedly framed Mason as a “rogue actor” who botched the case independently. However, other supervisors within the DA’s office testified on Mason’s behalf. This led Diamond to conclude that Krasner may have pressured staff to go along with the scapegoating, which appeared to be evidence of potential criminal obstruction and conspiracy.

“He thus sought to direct the very lawyers obligated by law to correct the Concession’s errors to do just the opposite,” Diamond wrote.

This was all done to cover up Krasner’s failure to properly review trial records before agreeing to overturn the conviction of Dennis Johnson, who was convicted of second-degree murder, robbery and a firearms offense in 2009, according to the memo.

Johnson had sought a writ of habeas corpus, which would invite a judge to review whether a prisoner’s detention is lawful. However, before assigning the case to Mason, Stiegler determined that the office would concede habeas relief without ever investigating the trial records, Diamond said.

Instead, the DA’s office filed a response in 2022 agreeing that Johnson’s conviction should be tossed, claiming that the identification given by a key witness was merely hearsay, despite trial transcripts showing that the witness had repeatedly testified to visually identifying Johnson, whom they had known for 5 to 6 years.

🚨 Soros-Backed Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner won the Democratic primary election last night, all but guaranteeing that he will win another term.

Homicides spiked an all-time high of more than 550 in 2021 under Krasner. pic.twitter.com/BQqU29kavP

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 21, 2025

In 2026, the case files were reviewed in preparation for an evidentiary hearing, when the alleged falsehoods were found, leading the pair to shift the blame to Mason.

“Mr. Krasner, aided by Stiegler, put the Law Division supervisors in an impossible situation that might jeopardize them professionally and may have violated the law,” Diamond concluded.

Krasner’s office previously freed a convicted murderer who went on to kill again.

The Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) exclusively reported in April that Krasner’s team had hidden criminal records of migrants receiving free legal aid, choosing to throw out the list entirely.

Krasner has also implemented many soft-on-crime reforms and accepted $1.9 million in campaign funds from leftist megadonor George Soros, DCNF reported.

The DA has previously said that the White House’s ballroom should be blown up.

Krasner, Stiegler, and the DA’s office were referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for investigation. However, the DA’s office was not disqualified from the case.

Larry Krasner’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.

Because Krasner’s office had committed “egregious” and “exceptional” violations of the federal rules of procedure, a federal judge ordered the DA to “send separate written apologies” to four victim family members.

Krasner is himself a scofflaw, noted Big Trial: “Krasner, a persistent tax deadbeat, still owes the city $83,406.50 in back taxes.” But “unless he’s impeached, or somehow removed from office, Krasner….will continue to let armed and dangerous criminals off the hook. And they’ll continue to go out and hurt, maim and/or kill more innocent victims.”

Krasner fired experienced prosecutors who were good at obtaining justice for crime victims, as soon as he took office. As Big Trial noted,

When he first took office back in January 2018, Krasner’s first official act was to fire 31 senior prosecutors…The new Philly D.A., a career criminal defense lawyer who had never prosecuted a traffic stop, replaced the most senior prosecutors in his office with a combination of social justice warriors, former public defenders and woke progressives fresh out of law school.

The result was that criminals remained free to kill innocent people. 21-year-old Jailene Holton was shot to death by a man that Krasner’s office failed to convict of rape despite overwhelming evidence, such as text messages. Krasner’s office assigned an inexperienced recent hire who had previously interned in a public defender’s office to prosecute the case. He bungled the case, so the defendant walked free. Seven months later, that man shot Jailene Holton to death in a rage.