The woman accused of defacing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., has been identified and taken into custody, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.
Federal prosecutors are charging Melissa L. Farris with two felonies over her alleged role in the vandalism, which authorities say included spray-painted graffiti and bubble soap dumped into the memorial’s fountain.
Pirro announced the arrest Friday and made clear that prosecutors intend to treat the attack on the national monument seriously.
“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 United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials, in Federal District Court against Melissa L. Farris, offenses that carry penalties of up to ten years in prison. She is now in custody,” Pirro added.
The Department of Justice says the vandalism happened Thursday.
The words “Clean hands, dirty money,” were spray-painted across the memorial in bright pink paint, according to authorities.
🚨 BREAKING: The DOJ has ARRESTED the scumbag who VANDALIZED the World War II memorial in DC yesterday, per US Attorney Pirro
And she looks EXACTLY as you’d expect.
Melissa L. Farris is now being hit with TWO FELONIES, which each carry up to 10 years each.
FAFO. pic.twitter.com/kKd4XR6jPP
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 14, 2026
Officials also said bubble soap was dumped into the fountain at the center of the memorial, leaving one of the nation’s most solemn monuments covered in foam and graffiti.
President Donald Trump blasted the vandalism after images of the damage surfaced.
“Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals. THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II. First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???” he wrote in a Friday post on Truth Social.
The World War II Memorial honors the millions of Americans who served during the war and the more than 400,000 U.S. service members who lost their lives.
The latest incident is not the first time a prominent Washington landmark has been targeted this year.
Trump has also pushed federal authorities to pursue a case involving a former Olympian accused of damaging the protective coating at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
That case has become another flashpoint between the administration and prosecutors over how aggressively vandalism involving national monuments should be handled.
In June, U.S. Park Police opened a separate investigation after the numbers “8647” were burned into the grass near the Washington Monument.
The marking drew particular attention because it appeared in a highly visible section of the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial.
Farris now faces charges of Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials, with Pirro saying the offenses could carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
