In Washington Crackdown, Making a Federal Case Out of Low-Level Arrests

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1. Trump's D.C. Crime Crackdown Sends Minor Cases Federal

Trump’s D.C. Crime Crackdown Sends Minor Cases Federal

By Syndicated Content
Aug 24, 2025 | 5:02 PM

President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of policing in Washington has shifted routine offenses into federal court, where minor arrests are being prosecuted as serious crimes under U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s directive to pursue maximum charges, The New York Times reported.

The shift was visible Thursday in U.S. District Court, where defendants normally handled in local court faced federal judges and prosecutors. Cases included an open container arrest, a contested gun charge, and threats against the president — each reflecting the new mandate.

Mark Bigelow, 28, a part-time Amazon delivery driver, was arrested Tuesday after federal and local officers spotted an open container of alcohol in a van where he sat. According to court filings, Bigelow left the vehicle but was stopped by agents; a second alcoholic drink was later found. Prosecutors charged him with possession of an open container, a misdemeanor.

As he was placed in custody, Bigelow resisted, cursing agents and kicking two Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. He was then charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers, a felony punishable by up to eight years in prison. His defense attorney, Elizabeth Mullin, argued the case would never have been brought without the president’s directive: “He was caught up in this federal occupation of D.C.”

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