Overview
- Federal prosecutors moved on Friday to dismiss the felony indictment against former Olympian David Hearn after obtaining Interior Department records and a visual inspection that showed the pool lining failed throughout the basin.
- The Justice Department said the damage was the result of a rushed, flawed installation by Atlantic Industrial Coatings rather than intentional vandalism, and prosecutors noted they received incomplete information from DOI before the grand jury indictment.
- Investigations and forensic work followed the pool being drained for repairs, with experts citing delamination of the dark polyurea liner, installation errors around buried circulation pipes and repeated test failures as technical causes of the peeling and algae blooms.
- President Trump publicly rejected the dismissal on Truth Social, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended evidence of vandalism, and prosecutors have dropped or moved to dismiss at least some related misdemeanor charges.
- The episode has put a spotlight on a roughly $14–16 million, largely no‑bid renovation, prompted preservation suits and likely congressional oversight, and left the contractor, federal agencies and the Justice Department facing scrutiny and potential consequences.