A federal judge asked federal prosecutors Tuesday to investigate Philadelphia's Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner over allegations he may have obstructed justice and possibly committed other crimes in his handling of a post-conviction case.

U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond Jr. disqualified Krasner and one of his deputies from handling the case, which was related to a man seeking to overturn his second-degree murder conviction. Krasner has sided with the man.

Diamond ruled that there is evidence that Krasner and his deputy, Matthew Stiegler, may have sought to obstruct justice by ordering prosecutors to "protect the office," when the court began investigating his handling of the case. 

He also claimed there is evidence he may have attempted to persuade four prosecutors in the office to “urge the court to accept a false narrative,” which would “amount to criminal conspiracy.”

“I have thus reluctantly concluded that Philadelphia’s highest law enforcement official and one of his top assistants may have violated the law,” Diamond said in the memorandum. “In these circumstances, with the issuance of this Memorandum, I refer the DAO, Mr. Krasner, and Stiegler to this District’s United States Attorney’s Office for investigation and other appropriate action.”

Krasner rejected the judge's claims and vowed to appeal the case to a higher court, according to NBC News.

“I respectfully and vigorously disagree with the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law,” he said. “I look forward to appealing to the higher court as soon as the law allows. This remains a pending matter."

The referral comes as Krasner faces serious criticism for his attempts to overturn murder convictions without proper reviews, despite winning reelection last year. He was first elected as the city's district attorney in 2018.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.