Melissa Farris, 41, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was arrested on the morning of August 14, 2026, and charged with two federal felonies for vandalizing the National World War Two Memorial on Washington D.C.'s National Mall.
The specific section targeted was the Atlantic Theatre Pavilion, part of the memorial complex, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Farris is accused of filling the memorial with bubbles and applying spray-paint bearing the phrase "Clean hands Dirty $" to its surfaces, The Guardian reported.
Jeanine Ferris Pirro, who serves as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced the charges. Pirro confirmed mid-morning on August 14 that a suspect was in custody, according to The Guardian.
The criminal complaint against Farris was filed on August 14, 2026, the Justice Department said.