U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday that authorities have arrested a woman for allegedly vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and are charging her with multiple felonies.
“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 posted online Friday morning.
The charges include depredation against property of the US and destruction of a veterans’ memorial.
In her post, Pirro identified the defendant as Melissa L. Farris and shared images she said showed Farris spray-painting the memorial.
Farris faces up to 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney.
The Interior Department launched an investigation after neon graffiti appeared on the Atlantic Pavilion and the memorial’s fountains filled with soapy bubbles on Thursday.
On the inner side of the fountain, graffiti written in neon orange stated: “Clean hands Dirty $.”
Pink and green markings also covered parts of the pavilion.
Large amounts of foam in the water appeared to result from soap poured into the fountain.
Law enforcement cordoned off the area Thursday afternoon. National Park Service crews cleaned the site, and by Friday morning both the paint and bubbles had been removed.
President Donald Trump posted Friday that the administration was on the “trail” of the suspects, labeling the vandals “animals.”
The Interior Department issued a strong statement calling the incident “an utter disgrace.”
“The World War II Memorial is a sacred place to honor the service of our members of the Armed Forces and the over 400,000 Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice in WWII. The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated. Our U.S. Park Police are on the scene and the investigation is ongoing. The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act,” the department said.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars demanded accountability, describing the soap and graffiti as acts of “profound disrespect.”
The organization said it expects “accountability for this disgraceful act and a swift response to restore the memorial.”
“We eagerly await the National Park Service’s plan for repairing the damage and ensuring the National World War II Memorial remains a fitting and enduring tribute to America’s Greatest Generation,” the VFW stated.
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.
This morning, we are filing two felony charges, Depredation Against Property of the… pic.twitter.com/7EQxGWtdue
— US Attorney Pirro (@USAttyPirro) August 14, 2026
Scott Wimpfheimer, visiting from Minnesota and Alabama with family, expressed outrage to CNN affiliate WJLA.
He noted that both his son and daughter served in Iraq.
“It is a World War II monument. It’s to all the people who died and fought and sacrificed for our country,” he said, adding, “Our kids and our parents put our lives on the line for our country. I just don’t understand.”
“I hope they catch him and keep him in jail for a long, long time,” Wimpfheimer continued. “It has to stop, and maybe hitting them in their pocketbook or locking them up might do it.”
The incident marks the latest disrespect shown toward national memorials on the Mall.
Earlier this summer, renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ordered under the Trump administration led to peeling paint and algae problems, with the pool remaining drained for repairs.
In June, the numbers “86 47”—widely understood as a call opposing the president—were etched into the grass near the Washington Monument.
As of Friday morning, the World War II Memorial stood clean once more, its tribute to the more than 400,000 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice restored.