A federal grand jury has indicted a woman who filmed herself dumping soap into a fountain at the World War II Memorial in Washington and spray-painting its granite this month.
Melissa Farris, 41, is charged with destruction of a veterans’ memorial and destruction of government property, both felonies, in connection with the Aug. 13 incident on the National Mall.
Farris live-streamed herself on social media as bubbles filled the fountain beneath the Atlantic Arch. Photos from the scene showed the message “Clean hands dirty $” spelled out in red beneath the arch, as well as red and green paint splattered on the surrounding stonework.
Farris was arrested the next day, and a judge last week ordered her to return to Ohio, where she lives. Her next court hearing is set for next Thursday before U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, an appointee of President Donald Trump.
The grand jury indicted Farris on Thursday.
In a Friday statement, the U.S. attorney for D.C., Jeanine Pirro, said the memorial is a tribute to the millions of Americans who served, including the hundreds of thousands who died, during World War II.
“Defacing it is an affront to their service and sacrifice,” she said. “We will use every tool available under federal law to ensure this conduct is met with justice.”
Farris and a public defender representing her did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Both of the felony charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. Court records say the damage at the memorial exceeded $1,000.
The incident prompted condemnation from Trump, the Interior Department and various lawmakers.
“THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post the day after the vandalism occurred. “First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???”
The incident at the memorial came after the White House blamed vandals for damaging the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Pirro ultimately dropped charges against four people, and the Justice Department said information showed that “the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented.”
In an exclusive interview with The Washington Post, Farris acknowledged vandalizing the memorial and said she was trying to draw attention to what she believes was the withholding of health care funds by her former employer in Kentucky. (The employer and two union branches have not responded to requests for comment.)
“I decided I was going to scream loudly enough that a nation will hear me,” she said.
Farris said that despite the criticism and death threats she has received over the vandalism, she sees herself as a patriot.
“Blue collar built America,” she said. “We maintain America. We pay for the maintaining of America, and we don’t get to touch any of it. We’re stuck in tiny perimeters pulling up our bootstraps every day, and no matter how hard we pull, it’s never enough.”
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