WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a stark escalation of the federal response to Washington’s spiraling violence, two young men accused of participating in the savage beating of former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine were slapped with federal charges Monday, facing up to 15 years in prison each for robbery and assault. Laurence Cotton-Powell, 19, and Anthony Taylor, 18—described by prosecutors as repeat offenders with histories of leniency from local courts—were indicted on two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of assault with intent to commit robbery, and attempted unarmed carjacking, marking a pivotal moment in President Donald Trump’s aggressive takeover of D.C. law enforcement.
The charges stem from the August 3, 2025, attack in Logan Circle, where Coristine, a 19-year-old software engineer known within DOGE circles as “Big Balls,” intervened to protect a woman from a group of up to a dozen teens attempting to carjack her vehicle. Surveillance footage and witness accounts depict a frenzied mob pummeling Coristine, leaving him bloodied and unconscious on the pavement—his viral photo igniting national outrage. Tech mogul Elon Musk, DOGE’s former chief advisor, first spotlighted the incident on social media, amplifying calls for federal intervention. Trump, seizing the moment, decried D.C.’s “totally out of control” crime and deployed National Guard troops and FBI agents, a surge that has since netted over 1,000 arrests citywide.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a Trump appointee, announced the indictments at a Justice Department presser, emphasizing accountability in a district plagued by “radical” judicial softness. Cotton-Powell, previously granted probation for a felony attempted robbery, and Taylor now face the full weight of federal jurisdiction, a rarity for such cases. “The rights of victims are paramount,” Pirro declared. “My office will pursue justice vigorously.” Coristine, who resigned from DOGE in June amid its mission to slash federal waste, expressed relief in a statement: “This isn’t vengeance—it’s validation that someone’s finally listening.”
The case underscores broader tensions: Two younger teens, both 15, received probation last week for their roles, drawing fire from conservatives who lambast D.C.’s juvenile justice reforms. As Trump’s 77 million-vote mandate fuels a “red tsunami” for 2026, this federal hammer on local leniency signals a zero-tolerance era. For D.C.’s streets, once a symbol of urban decay, the message is clear: No more slaps on the wrist—federal fury awaits.
