Overview
- The World War II Memorial was defaced with spray paint reading variants of “Clean hands dirty $” and soap was poured into the central fountain, an incident that occurred Thursday and was discovered by Park Police and visitors.
- Federal prosecutors identified the suspect as Melissa L. Farris and say witness photos, surveillance images and videos posted by the suspect on social media show her spraying graffiti and acknowledging the damage.
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office filed two felony counts—depredation against property of the United States and destruction of veterans’ memorials—that each carry up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
- Park Service crews removed the paint and foam and reopened the memorial the next day, and prosecutors estimated cleanup and restoration costs already exceeded $1,000 while the investigation and pretrial steps continue.
- The case follows recent controversies over damage to other National Mall sites and drew public rebukes from veterans groups and President Trump, raising questions about monument security, law enforcement response, and how prosecutors handle high‑profile Mall incidents.