A federal grand jury indicted Melissa Farris, 41, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, on Thursday for vandalizing Washington, D.C.'s World War II Memorial earlier this month.
Farris livestreamed herself spraying pink and green graffiti inside the monument's Atlantic Pavilion on Aug. 13, painting the words "Clean hands Dirty $" on the structure and filling the memorial's fountain with soap. Prosecutors charged her with one count of destruction of a veterans' memorial and one count of destruction of federal property—both felonies carrying up to 10 years in prison each.
During the livestream, Farris called herself a "homeless freedom fighter" and spoke incoherently, according to authorities. She caused more than $1,000 in damage to the memorial.
Farris turned herself in and was released from jail before trial despite prosecutors' objections. They cited her "history of criminal misconduct and non-compliance with court orders."
In an interview Thursday, Farris said she committed the act to draw attention to alleged wrongdoing by a former union employer in Kentucky. "I made a big mess to get the nation's attention," she said. "I can unite a nation quicker than anybody else, apparently, because it didn't matter what political party they were. They can still all hate me, and then I'm going to give them the truth."
Farris is scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden on Sept. 3.
