Woman arrested and facing felony charges in World War II memorial vandalism case, DOJ says

BREAKING NEWSAug. 14, 2026, 2:47 PM UTCJustice DepartmentJustice DepartmentWoman arrested and facing felony charges in World War II memorial vandalism case, DOJ saysMelissa L. Farris faces two felony charges, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Vandalism at the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. on Thursday.Tyler M. Andrews / The Washington Post via Getty Images ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Ryan J. ReillyA woman has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing the World War II memorial in Washington, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday.Melissa L. Farris is facing two felony charges in federal court in Washington, Pirro said on social media. Charging documents in the case against Farris were not yet available, but Pirro said Farris was in custody.“Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather,” Pirro wrote.The memorial was vandalized on Thursday with bubbles filling the fountain and graffiti that appeared to read “Clean hands dirty $.”The arrest comes after Pirro’s office made the call to drop charges against former Olympic canoeist David “Davey” Hearn in connection with an incident at the Reflecting Pool, a decision that drew Trump’s ire. Pirro’s office said that the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was “the result of flawed installation.” A judge dismissed the charges against Hearn, but had not yet decided whether to ban Pirro’s office from bringing any charges against Hearn in the future. ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleRyan J. ReillyRyan J. Reilly is a justice reporter for NBC News.