Prosecutors Dismiss All Charges in Reflecting Pool Case

Federal prosecutors have dismissed all charges against four individuals accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, concluding that the damage was caused by a flawed construction project, not criminal acts. The decision, finalized on August 3, 2026, ends a politically charged case that had drawn sharp criticism from President Donald Trump against his own appointed prosecutor.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, led by Jeanine Pirro, first moved to dismiss the felony charge against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn on July 31. Prosecutors stated in a court filing that newly obtained evidence from the Department of the Interior made it "difficult to attribute the widespread damage to vandalism." Instead, they attributed the peeling of the pool's new blue liner to a "botched installation" by the contractor and a rush to complete the $14 million renovation before Independence Day celebrations. By August 3, prosecutors had also dropped misdemeanor charges against the three other defendants: Justin Carreno, Sophie Dennison-Gibby, and Cameron Thiers.

The cases stemmed from a series of arrests in late June after pieces of the liner were seen...