New US Attorney Jeanine Pirro Announces Major Arrest
Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro is making swift and decisive moves to restore law and order in the nation’s capital. In her latest high-profile announcement, Pirro revealed the conviction of a Washington state man who livestreamed terror threats and unlawfully possessed firearms and ammunition.
Taylor Taranto, 39, of Pasco, Washington, was found guilty on all counts by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols. The charges include carrying two firearms without a license, illegal possession of ammunition, and spreading false information and hoaxes. The announcement came jointly from U.S. Attorney Pirro and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Crimes Division.
On June 28, 2023, Taranto broadcast himself live while driving near National Harbor, Maryland, claiming he was “working on a detonator” and threatening to bomb the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He then drove into Virginia, staging a fake emergency to garner attention online.
The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force acted quickly, issuing regional alerts and tracking Taranto through another livestream in Washington, D.C.’s Kalorama neighborhood. Authorities arrested him there, confirming the bomb threat was a hoax but discovering a van stocked with two firearms, multiple ammunition magazines, and hundreds of rounds.
Taranto's sentencing date is pending, as the court considers whether to release him before the hearing.
Pirro, who officially assumed the role of interim U.S. Attorney this week, wasted no time in taking a hard stance against violent crime. On the very evening of her appointment, she announced sentencing for two criminals responsible for a brazen daylight drive-by shooting near a D.C. elementary school.
Rasheed Mullins, 27, and Josiah Warfield, 24, received sentences of 90 and 100 months, respectively, along with five years of supervised release. The two pleaded guilty earlier this year to assault with intent to murder while armed in connection with the April 2024 attack.
Pirro’s office also indicted 20-year-old Te’Vaughn Brown for felony assault on a senior citizen outside Nationals Park last August. His trial is scheduled for July 14.
Despite pushback from some Democratic lawmakers regarding her appointment—President Donald Trump’s second interim nomination for the District without Senate confirmation—the administration maintains the move is well within legal bounds.
“The appointment of Judge Jeanine Pirro to be the interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia is consistent with the law and the long-standing advice of the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel,” said Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harris Fields.
Under federal law, an interim U.S. Attorney may serve for 120 days, after which the president must submit a nominee for Senate confirmation or defer the appointment to the district court.
President Trump has made it clear that restoring safety to the capital is a top priority. Speaking earlier this year at the Department of Justice, he declared: “We’re not going to have crime, and we’re not going to stand for crime.”
The results speak for themselves. Metropolitan Police statistics show a sharp downturn in violent crime across Washington, D.C. Robberies are down 24%, homicides have dropped 17%, and assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 14% year-over-year.
As President Trump continues to take bold action to secure the nation’s capital, the White House has yet to confirm whether it will seek Pirro’s permanent appointment to the role. For now, however, she is moving swiftly—and decisively—in defense of public safety and the rule of law.