Overview
- Federal prosecutors asked a judge on Friday to dismiss the felony indictment of former Olympian David Hearn after finding documents that point to installation failures rather than proven vandalism.
- The filing says the Department of the Interior initially provided limited information and only produced additional records after the indictment that showed repeated lining failures during a hurried installation.
- The renovation was a fast-tracked, largely no-bid project to Atlantic Industrial Coatings that cost about $13–14 million and included problematic work such as overspray, delamination around expansion joints, and design choices that raised water temperature and encouraged algae growth.
- President Trump publicly rejected the dismissal and Interior officials continued to assert vandalism claims, while prosecutors dropped at least two related misdemeanor charges and Hearn’s lawyers demanded an apology for his arrest.
- The move shifts scrutiny from criminal suspects to procurement and oversight, and it is likely to fuel congressional inquiries, preservation lawsuits, and potential administrative or contractual accountability for DOI and the contractor.