DC court gives teenagers who attacked ex-DOGE staffer probation
DC court gives teenagers who attacked ex-DOGE staffer probation and no jail time
A Washington, D.C., court on Tuesday granted probation to two teenagers who brutally attacked former Department of Government Efficiency staffer Edward “Big Balls” Coristine in August, meaning the defendants can avoid jail time.
The unnamed boy and girl, both age 15, pleaded guilty to simple assault in connection with the Aug. 3 attack that prompted President Donald Trump to crack down on crime in the district.
The boy faces a 12-month probation sentence, while the girl will serve nine months of probation, according to local news outlet WUSA9. They have both been ordered to refrain from contacting each other or spending time in the district outside of school or other obligations.
The judge stressed that the defendants should be rehabilitated rather than punished for their crime.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested the two juveniles in the early hours of Aug. 3 after they helped attack Coristine, 19, and his female companion. At least eight other people also participated in the carjacking assault, according to Coristine. The other suspects remain at large.
“To this day, they’ve only caught two out of the ten. Eight of them remain on the street,” Coristine posted on social media on Wednesday morning. “That night could’ve gone far differently. Think of your daughters and mothers. The same group attacked people before and after us, breaking ribs and stomping heads. This senseless crime must be stopped.”
A photo of Coristine’s bloodied face following the attack widely circulated on social media along with public comments from Trump and ex-DOGE figurehead Elon Musk.
“A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC,” Musk wrote on X at the time, sharing a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post teasing a looming federal crackdown if the D.C. government didn’t respond adequately to crime. “A [DOGE] team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her. It is time to federalize DC.”
Trump ultimately activated the National Guard and federal agents later in August to deter crime, clear homeless encampments, and remove trash in public areas.
Coristine recently recounted the incident that left him with a broken nose and a concussion.
“Luckily, the whole thing did not last too long. The police showed up pretty quickly,” he said in an appearance on Fox News’s Jesse Watters Primetime late last month. “I was fortunate I only came out with a broken nose and a concussion. It could have been a lot worse.”
Appearing via a live video feed on Tuesday, Coristine thanked the court and police for bringing his attackers to justice.
In a direct message to the teenagers, Coristine reportedly said, “I hope you can figure things out and be ready for the consequences.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) likened the probation sentencing to a “mild” punishment and called on U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro to weigh in on the news.
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“If these charges (against the teenagers who brutally beat Big Balls) had been brought in federal district court, the sentence would have been … very different,” Lee wrote on X. “But they weren’t, so they got a mild slap on the wrist. [Pirro], what say you?”
Since her Senate confirmation to the position in August, Pirro has vowed to prosecute juvenile offenders to the fullest extent of the law.
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