A 15-year-old pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the attack of a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee, which sparked President Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington, D.C. this summer.
The teen, from Hyattsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty in D.C. juvenile court to felony assault, simple assault, robbery and attempted robbery for targeting former DOGE employee Edward Coristine, also known as “big balls.”
He also pleaded guilty to a robbery that occurred in a separate area the same night. Another teen, a 15-year-old girl, also faces charges.
He was temporarily held at the Youth Services Center but later placed on electronic monitoring, according to The Washington Post.
The boy is currently staying with his mother and actively adhering to the rules set in place by the judge, which include attending school and undergoing GPS monitoring, the Post reported.
An image of Coristine, bloodied and sitting on the ground, rapidly spread on the internet in early August after Trump administration officials drew attention to the crime that involved a large group of underage individuals.
“They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!” the president wrote in regards to local juveniles in an August post on Truth Social.
“The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14. The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs,” he added.
Days later, Trump announced he was taking federal control of the capital’s police department and deploying the National Guard there in an effort to crack down on crime.
U.S. Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro has also backed Trump’s objective to harshen punishment for juvenile offenses following the attack.
She recently lauded GOP lawmakers for passing two bills in Congress that increase federal control over D.C. affairs. One bill allows President Trump to nominate judges for the Washington courts and strike down D.C.’s Judicial Nomination Commission, and another repeals legislation that prevented local police from engaging in high-speed chases.
“This is a critical first step following President Trump’s highly successful surge to address violent crime in DC. He is the first president to recognize the out-of-control crime and the fact that it can be stopped,” Pirro wrote in a post on X.
“The fact that these bills received bipartisan support shows that both sides recognize the need to change the trajectory of violence in our nation’s capital,” she continued.
Pirro, a former Fox News host, later told the public, “There will be no more coddling of young criminals.”
However, local leaders have pushed back on the White House attempt to override local autonomy in D.C., alleging leaders have subjected residents to random stops, unexpected searches and arrests by unidentified members of law enforcement.
“We’re under siege by our own fed govt. The military occupation of DC is unlawful, unwarranted, and unwelcome.,” Council member Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) wrote in a statement on X.
“What we’re witnessing on our streets is cruel, counterproductive, and unacceptable. Federal agents should not be patrolling our streets, terrifying our residents, and taking people away. The federal surge needs to end,” she wrote in a previous post.
