U.S. Attorney says parents will face criminal charges over D.C. teen 'takeovers'

United States Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced a new enforcement priority aimed at teen "takeovers" in Washington, D.C., saying her office will use existing D.C. law to pursue adults who enable juveniles to participate in disorderly or dangerous gatherings.

"Starting today, my office will aggressively prosecute parents under DC s curfew law," Pirro said, naming the statute she plans to use: D.C. Code 22-811, which prohibits contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She described penalties that can include fines, court-ordered classes and up to six months' imprisonment for adults who permit or fail to prevent a minor from violating curfew or participating in takeovers.

Pirro said the office will seek parental citations tied to takeover incidents and will seek mandatory parental notification and court-mandated counseling or classes as part of case resolutions. She said such penalties can be imposed even if the juvenile is not prosecuted.

On implementation, Pirro described coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department but emphasized jurisdictional limits: her office can only charge adults who commit a crime in the District of Columbia. She also said federal prosecution options for juveniles as adults are limited by statute to certain offenses (Title 16 categories such as homicide, sexual assault, robbery, burglary and armed offenses).

The announcement drew questions about whether Maryland parents could be charged for conduct outside the district; Pirro replied she can only bring charges for crimes committed in her jurisdiction. She also acknowledged staffing shortages in her office but said the office would work extended hours and pursue additional hiring to handle an expected increase in cases.

Pirro framed the initiative as a response to takeovers that she said "terrorize" neighborhoods and harm businesses, and said it would be paired with operational work by MPD and other task-force partners.