When announcing federal charges against four men accused of torching police cars in Philadelphia during a protest in May, U.S. Attorney William McSwain gave a stark warning: He would use the full force of the federal government against others who cause mayhem.
“If you engage in violent civil unrest and commit a federal crime in this district, we will come after you as hard as we can,” McSwain, of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said at a news conference Thursday. “You will go to jail.”
In addition to the arson offenses, federal prosecutors said a grand jury had charged the men with one…
