Washington — A woman who allegedly vandalized the World War II Memorial in Washington with spray paint has been arrested and faces two felony charges, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Melissa Farris, a 41-year-old from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, has been charged with depredation against property of the United States and destruction of veterans’ memorials, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia said in a statement.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the charges in a post on X and 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,” Pirro said.
The World War II Memorial is located on the National Mall, between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. On Thursday, fountains at the memorial were seen filled with soapy bubbles, and a wall was defaced with paint of various colors, including graffiti reading “Clean Hands Dirty $.”
Andrew Leyden / @PenguinSix
Andrew Leyden / @PenguinSix
Pirro’s office said a witness told U.S. Park Police officers that they saw a woman spray-painting one of the pavilions at the memorial.
“A United States Park Ranger arrived at the scene and observed foam in the fountain area of the Atlantic pavilion. Multiple people were gathered around the balcony watching a woman shooting video of herself,” prosecutors said. “The woman fled when she became aware of the Ranger’s presence.”
Pirro’s post on X included a photo of the woman she identified as Farris appearing to spray-paint the walls of the memorial:
Jeanine Pirro / X
Pirro’s office cited social media videos that Farris allegedly posted showing and admitting to the vandalism. In a live-stream on Facebook at the memorial, Farris said she was “cognitively aware … of the choices I am making.” She said she was a whistleblower and filmed herself using the spray paint to vandalize the pavilion.
“It was me. I’m doing it, I did it, it’s on camera,” Farris said. The video shows her waiting for several minutes to be arrested without being taken into custody. She ultimately threw a pink spray-paint can on the ground before walking away.
On Friday morning, Farris posted several other videos Facebook from outside the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, before turning herself in. Speaking through tears, she said she had “never been in this position before.”
“I’m just trying to do the right thing. I was just trying to get people to listen,” Farris said. “I was just trying to scream loud enough that somebody would help me.”
Each charge Farris faces carries a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison. Farris made her initial appearance at the courthouse in Alexandria and was detained, a spokesperson for Pirro’s office told CBS News.
Pirro’s office said that Park Police recognized Farris after having arrested her earlier this month for unlawfully camping on federal property near the memorial.
In a Truth Social post Friday morning, President Trump commented on the vandalism, saying there was “NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II.”
The Friends of the National World War II Memorial, a nonprofit organization that works to preserve the site, said in a statement that “a national memorial honoring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism.”
The charges against Farris come amid heightened scrutiny and security on the National Mall over recent renovations and restoration projects.
In July, four people, including former Olympian David Hearn, were indicted or charged by Pirro’s office with allegedly damaging the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. But the charges were ultimately dropped after federal prosecutors said that the damage was caused by a “botched” construction job by a contractor, and not vandalism.
Last week, CBS News reported that White House officials asked the Justice Department to weigh bringing the charges against Hearn again, after Mr. Trump continued to claim without evidence that there “may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”
No final decision has been made, sources told CBS News.
Another case of vandalism involved the lawn near the Washington Monument in June, when discoloration in the grass began to emerge, spelling out “86 47” in huge letters. No one has been charged in relation to the markings.
The term is at the center of the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, who posted an image of seashells arranged as “86 47” to Instagram. Prosecutors say the post amounted to a threat against the president. Comey deleted the post and said he did not know the numbers could connote violence.