A Kentucky woman is in federal custody after allegedly vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., with spray paint and bubble soap, drawing felony charges from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and a sharp rebuke from President Trump.

Pirro announced Friday morning that her office filed two felony counts against Melissa L. Farris: Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans' Memorials. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. Farris turned herself in at the federal district court and is now in custody, the Daily Caller reported.

The vandalism was discovered Thursday at the memorial on the National Mall. Red spray-painted graffiti reading "Clean Hands Dirty $" was found at the Atlantic pavilion, and a bubbling substance had been dumped into the fountain. Farris, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, filmed herself committing the act, livestreaming the spray-painting and telling viewers she would wait to be arrested.

Pirro, who leads the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, posted the charges on X with a personal note. Her father and grandfather both served in World War II, she said:

"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."

The charges landed just days after the memorial completed a $3 million renovation. The bubble soap dumped into the fountain risked damaging the mechanical pumps, and cleanup and restoration costs had already exceeded $1,000 by the time charges were filed.

Farris livestreamed the vandalism and said she wanted 'people to listen'

Farris did not try to hide what she did. She broadcast it. Fox News reported that she posted a Facebook Live video in which she said she was "trying to get people to listen." She also stated on the livestream, "I will wait here to be arrested for spraying our veterans' fountain."

No motive tied to a specific cause or organization has been publicly identified. The graffiti, "Clean Hands Dirty $", suggests some kind of political message, but neither Pirro's office nor investigators have elaborated on what Farris meant by it.

Red paint and the bubbling substance were found concentrated around the memorial's Atlantic pavilion and fountain, according to multiple reports. The World War II Memorial honors the more than 400,000 Americans who died in the conflict, and its fountains and granite pillars draw millions of visitors each year.

Trump condemned the vandalism and pointed to a pattern on the Mall

President Trump responded on Truth Social the same day, tying the incident to an earlier episode of vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. His post did not hold back:

"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???"

The Reflecting Pool reference connects to a separate case in which five people were arrested and five more cited for vandalism at that site. Trump had been publicly invested in that case and promised swift action.

The U.S. Interior Department issued a statement Thursday, before the arrest, calling the vandalism "an utter disgrace." The department said U.S. Park Police were on the scene and that the investigation was ongoing. Just The News confirmed the two felony counts and reported that the spray-painted graffiti was red.

Pirro's handling of monument vandalism cases has drawn attention from the White House before. Trump publicly rebuked Pirro over her management of the Reflecting Pool case but stopped short of removing her. The swift felony charges in the World War II Memorial case suggest her office moved quickly to avoid a repeat of that friction.

$3 million renovation finished just weeks before the attack

The timing compounds the damage. The memorial had just wrapped up a $3 million renovation in May, according to the Washington Examiner. Bubble soap in the fountain posed a direct risk to the newly restored mechanical pumps, a detail that underscores how the vandalism was not just symbolic but physically destructive to a freshly rebuilt national landmark.

Breitbart reported that Farris allegedly filmed herself during the spray-painting and that the red paint and bubbling substance were concentrated at the Atlantic pavilion and fountain area. The video evidence, combined with Farris turning herself in, gave prosecutors a straightforward path to charges.

Several questions remain unanswered. Prosecutors have not disclosed whether Farris has legal representation or whether she has entered a plea. The full scope of damage to the memorial's stonework and mechanical systems has not been publicly assessed. And no connection to any organized group has been announced.

The Associated Press confirmed that Farris is from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and that she turned herself in to authorities. Her livestream, in which she announced her own intent to be arrested, provided investigators with both evidence and a confession of sorts, broadcast to anyone watching.

The case follows a string of vandalism incidents targeting monuments and memorials in the nation's capital. U.S. Park Police had already arrested suspects at the Reflecting Pool while Trump promised swift repairs to that site. The World War II Memorial case now adds a second high-profile prosecution to the ledger.

Farris faces up to ten years in prison on each count if convicted. For a woman who livestreamed her own crime and waited for police to arrive, the federal government appears ready to oblige her with the full weight of the consequences she invited.