In a recent outburst, D.C.’s chief prosecutor, Jeanine Pirro, criticized the judicial system after a court declined to move forward with felony charges against a former commander’s employee. This incident involved the employee throwing a sandwich at a federal law enforcement officer earlier this month.
“There are many judges out there, most of whom live in nicer areas like Georgetown or the northwest,” she remarked.
Pirro expressed her commitment to pursuing the most serious charges against offenders, emphasizing that her office aims to bring forth “the best possible crime” charges. She indicated that there’s an unfortunate trend where the court doesn’t seem to take such matters seriously.
The D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office previously sought to formally charge Shawn Charles Dan for felony assault related to the incident on August 10. However, their attempts to convince the judge to approve an indictment were unsuccessful.
Prosecutors stated that Dan, who served as an international affairs expert in the Department of Justice’s criminal division, was reported to have struck a customs and border officer with a sandwich. The video of this incident surfaced shortly after President Trump had raised concerns about crime in D.C. Consequently, Dan lost his position at the DOJ.
“My office strives to push for the most serious charges that fall within the law and evidence,” Pirro explained. “But in this instance… we were overlooked.” She added in frustration, “It’s like the judges don’t take it all that seriously.”
Pirro continued to suggest that residents in D.C. have become desensitized to crime, noting that “criminal behavior is so normalized” that many don’t seem to mind violating the law.
Despite the dismissal of the felony charge, Dan still faces misdemeanor charges related to his sandwich incident. In the broader context, around 850 federal agents and approximately 2,000 National Guard members have been deployed on D.C. streets as part of a federal crackdown on crime.
