Woman, 41, arrested and charged with vandalizing World War II Memorial in D.C.

Melissa L. Farris was charged with vandalizing the World War II Memorial.

A Kentucky woman has been apprehended by federal authorities and charged with vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro announced on Friday. 

Melissa L. Farris, 41, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was slapped with two felony charges for depredation against property of the U.S. and destruction of veterans’ memorials. In her post on X announcing the charges, Pirro also included two photos of Farris, one of which showed her in the apparent act of spraying red graffiti on the World War II Memorial. The message she left on the landmark read, "Clean Hands Dirty $" in red and green paint.

“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 said. Each offense carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Farris is also accused of filling the memorial's fountain with bubble soap, causing copious amounts of foam to form in the water. The indictment included a video Farris allegedly posted on Facebook, titled Tea Party, showing her in the act of causing the bubble outburst in the fountain. That video was followed by a series of other Facebook videos, including one in which Farris claims she would turn herself in over the vandalism.

This case comes nearly two weeks after Pirro announced she was dropping a case against a former U.S. Olympian who was accused of vandalizing the recently repaired Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump expressed his disagreement with Pirro over that decision. 

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