DOJ Charges Melissa Farris With 2 Felonies Over $1,000 WWII Memorial Vandalism
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 14
DOJ Charges Melissa Farris With 2 Felonies Over $1,000 WWII Memorial Vandalism
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 14
Summary
Melissa L. Farris was charged with two federal felonies after prosecutors said she spray-painted the World War II Memorial and fouled a fountain, with cleanup and restoration already estimated at more than $1,000.
Thursday videos cited in court records show Farris live-streaming herself tagging granite with “Clean hands dirty $,” dropping an item into the fountain and creating bubbles, then saying she wanted her day in court.
U.S. Park Police and rangers responded around 2 p.m.; the filing says Farris fled as a ranger approached, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro later said she was in custody.
Each charge—depredation against U.S. property and destruction of veterans’ memorials—carries up to 10 years in prison, as the Interior Department and President Donald Trump condemned the damage to the National Mall monument.