The suspect accused of vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., has been charged with two federal offenses for injuring/depredating U.S. property and the destruction of a veterans’ memorial, according to court documents.
The DOJ is accusing Kentucky woman Melissa L. Farris of an act of vandalism which occurred Thursday. The words "Clean hands, dirty money," were spray-painted on the memorial in bright pink paint along with dumping bubble soap into the fountain at the center of the memorial, according to authorities.
Federal prosecutors allege that cleanup and restoration costs already exceeded $1,000.
Fox News Digital scanned Farris' social media pages, which were cited in the court documents, and found she posted to Facebook Friday morning in a video.
"It's me. I am going to turn myself in … I'm outside district federal court," she said in a Facebook live.
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"I am just trying to do the right thing … I was trying to get people to listen… I tried to reach the media, I tried to fight back. I tried to ignore it," she said in tears.
Farris claimed she lived in a paper-thin camper that she "boarded up with cardboard in the winter to feel a little bit warmer."
Fox News Digital reached out to U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for comment.
"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," United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced earlier Friday morning.
President Donald Trump reacted strongly to the memorial's defacement.
"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 memorial is the latest D.C. monument targeted this year.
Trump continues to seek the prosecution of a former Olympian accused of ripping the Lincoln Monument Memorial Reflecting Pool's coating.
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In June, U.S. Park Police also launched an investigation after the numbers "8647" were burned into the grass near the Washington Monument.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
