A suspect has been taken into custody for allegedly vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced on Friday.
Her office filed two felony charges against a woman named Melissa L. Farris after neon-orange graffiti was found painted on the memorial’s Atlantic Pavilion and its fountain was filled with a thick layer of soap bubbles.
“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 on the social platform X.
Farris was charged with depredation against property of the United States and destruction of veterans’ memorials — two felony offenses that “carry penalties of up to ten years in prison.”
President Trump said Friday morning that investigators were homing in on the vandals responsible for defacing the memorial, tying the spray painting to prior damage occurring at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that the president also blamed on vandals.
“First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The Interior Department confirmed the vandalism on Thursday and said the U.S. Park Police were on the scene investigating.
“The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated,” a department spokesperson said in a statement.
Photos posted to social media show orange, pink and green markings across parts of the memorial, with the words “Clean hands Dirty $.”
Soap was also dumped into the monument’s fountain, leaving the area covered in thick bubbles that were not part of a regular cleaning service.
The memorial sits between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial and honors the roughly 16 million Americans who served in the U.S. military during World War II, including more than 400,000 who died.