An indictment was returned yesterday charging Melissa Farris, 41, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, with two federal counts related to vandalizing the World War II Memorial on the National Mall on August 13, 2026, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“The World War II Memorial stands as a lasting tribute to the courage of 16 million Americans who served during World War II and the ultimate sacrifice of the 405,399 who gave their lives defending our nation and the freedoms we hold dear. Defacing it is an affront to their service and sacrifice,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “We will use every tool available under federal law to ensure this conduct is met with justice.”
On August 27, 2026, a grand jury in U.S. District Court returned an indictment charging Farris with one count of Destruction of Veterans’ Memorial and one count of Destruction of Government Property. A court hearing is scheduled for September 3, 2026.
According to the criminal complaint filed on August 14, U.S. Park Police were called about 2 p.m. on August 13 for a report of a disorderly person. A witness told officers that they had observed a woman spray painting graffiti on portions of the Atlantic Theatre Pavilion of the World War II Memorial at the eastern end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
A United States Park Ranger arrived at the scene and observed foam in the fountain area of the Atlantic pavilion. Multiple people were gathered around the balcony watching a woman shooting video of herself. The woman fled when she became aware of the Ranger’s presence.
Orange-colored paint had been sprayed onto the wall with the words: “Clean Hands Dirty $.” Additionally, green-colored paint was also sprayed onto the wall just under the orange spray paint, and pink-colored paint was splattered on the ground. In a trash can near the north entrance of the balcony, law enforcement recovered a white sign with painted letters. The paint used on the sign appeared to match the paint that was used to vandalize the northern entrance balcony.
A witness had taken a photo of the woman defacing the Memorial. One U.S. Park Police officer recognized her as someone police had arrested on August 10 for unlawfully camping on federal property near 18th Street NW and Virginia Ave. NW, just a few blocks away from the World War II Memorial.
On August 10, as she was being arrested by Park Police, she live streamed the event over her Facebook and Instagram social media accounts on which she identified herself as “Melissa Lovewell.”
In a review of Farris’s public social media accounts, investigators discovered that she had recorded multiple livestream videos on August 13. In one recorded video, she allegedly admitted to damaging the World War II Memorial.
Before Farris defaced the World War II Memorial, she had allegedly recorded and posted a video in which she stated, “I am cognitively aware and executively (sic) of the choices I am making and I am doing so to push my whistleblower case into the courtroom . . . someone has to make choices that are different and I am accountable for my actions. I am going to make these choices today and I will step foot into the courtroom, and I will wait to be arrested . . . I am accountable for the things that I do and the choices that I make and our government needs to be accountable for their choices too.”
The Memorial honors the 16 million American service members who served during World War II, the millions more who supported the war effort from the home front, and the 405,399 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war. The Memorial contains two main pavilions, the Atlantic and Pacific pavilions, named for the two main theaters of the war. Over four million tourists pay their respect at the memorial annually.
