Two teenage thugs, Lawrence Cotton Powell (19) and Anthony Taylor (18), are now facing serious federal charges following a string of violent assaults in Washington, D.C.—including the brutal beating of former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine. But the real headline? One of them should’ve already been behind bars.
The teens have been hit with federal charges for two counts of first-degree robbery, assault with intent to commit robbery, and attempted carjacking. If convicted, they each face up to 15 years behind bars for the robbery-related charges and an additional five years for the attempted carjacking.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeannine Pirro, held little back during a press conference Monday, using the moment to slam the D.C. criminal justice system for repeatedly releasing violent offenders. And Powell, she noted, is a perfect case study in what happens when soft-on-crime policies meet the real world.
“What’s significant about this case is the history of Lawrence Cotton Powell,” Pirro said. Despite Powell’s record of violent behavior—including a prior felony conviction for attempted robbery, multiple probation violations, and a complete disregard for his court-mandated supervision—local judges handed him yet another free pass just days before the attack on Coristine.
“After a felony of attempted robbery conviction, after a violation of probation, after a second crime, after a second conviction, after no compliance with CSOSA [Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency], the judges say, ‘Do better,’ and they let him go,” Pirro said, visibly frustrated. “And guess what? Within ten days, he’s at it again.”
This time, “it” meant targeting a federal employee and terrorizing innocent civilians in one of the city’s supposed safer neighborhoods.
According to Pirro, Powell and Taylor—alongside roughly ten other suspects—first robbed another individual before turning their sights on Coristine and his female companion in the Logan Circle neighborhood around 3 a.m. Coristine, trying to shield his friend, shoved her into a car to protect her. That’s when the gang attacked.
“He was then attacked by multiple suspects who then punched him repeatedly, causing significant injuries to him,” Pirro explained. “They got him on the ground… They were banging on the car, they were pulling on the car door, trying to get the car open, and were telling the woman in the car to hand over the keys.”
The crime wave didn’t just spark outrage—it went viral. A bloody photo of Coristine ricocheted across social media, catching the attention of none other than President Donald J. Trump.
“This crime is totally out of control,” Trump declared on Truth Social. “Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released… But it’s going to happen now!”
And it did.
Days after the viral assault, Trump ordered a surge in federal law enforcement across D.C. and sent in the National Guard. The White House confirmed the president had assumed federal control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department—a rare but telling move signaling zero tolerance for crime and zero patience for bureaucratic ineptitude.
Meanwhile, Pirro called on the D.C. City Council to finally wake up and take public safety seriously.
“I ask them to stand up finally and send a clear message,” Pirro demanded. “Because the people of this district deserve no less than safety.”
In other words, stop letting violent criminals walk free just because they’re young. The people of Washington, D.C.—and the rest of the country—are watching.
