In a fiery press conference today, October 20, 2025, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro unleashed a blistering takedown of Washington’s revolving-door justice system, spotlighting the brutal assault on former DOGE staffer Edward “Big Balls” Coristine.
Charging two more suspects—19-year-old Laurence Cotton-Powell and 18-year-old Anthony Taylor—with attempted unarmed carjacking, robbery, and assault, Pirro vowed relentless pursuit. “This case underscores the escalating challenges we face in confronting crime in D.C.,” she declared, slamming federal judges for releasing Cotton-Powell despite prior felony convictions.
Both defendants confessed to the August 3 beating and a prior gas station robbery, but Pirro highlighted how these 18- and 19-year-olds—adults in 48 states—were repeatedly cut loose on probation after earlier offenses.
Cotton-Powell, sentenced April 3 for attempted robbery, ignored terms and preyed again, exemplifying a pattern where “slap-on-the-wrist” orders from lenient judges enable repeat predation.
Pirro called for lowering D.C.’s age of accountability to 14, ending the coddling: “If you think these kids need hugs—they need consequences. Enough is enough.”
Last week, as detailed in Act for America’s post “Justice Denied,” Judge Kendra Briggs delivered a gut-wrenching miscarriage, sentencing two 15-year-old attackers to probation and curfews while labeling them “traumatized” victims of circumstance.
