Former Olympian Indicted on Felony Charge Over Reflecting Pool Damage

Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn has been indicted in Washington, D.C., on a felony destruction of property charge tied to alleged damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a case that will turn on whether prosecutors can prove he maliciously damaged newly installed pool material and caused more than $1,000 in loss.

A D.C. Superior Court grand jury returned the indictment Thursday, charging Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, with one count of felony destruction of property under D.C. law. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said the charge stems from a June 19 incident involving recently installed blue sealant on the bottom of the Reflecting Pool.

Prosecutors claim Hearn ripped or removed part of the pool’s liner or sealant, damaging about two square feet of material. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said witnesses saw Hearn pull at the liner with both hands after a National Park Service employee told him to stop. Her office said the alleged damage exceeded $1,000, the amount that allows the charge to be treated as a felony.

Hearn denies vandalizing the pool. He has said he stopped at the site during a long bike ride, noticed a loose or peeling piece of material in the water, touched it briefly and let go after a park worker warned him. His attorneys, Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, called the indictment an abuse of government power and said the charge rests on a false account of what happened.

The indictment moves the dispute from a public fight over a troubled renovation project into a criminal case focused on intent, proof and property value. Under D.C. Code § 22-303, prosecutors must prove that a person maliciously injured, broke or destroyed property that did not belong to them, or tried to do so. The law applies to public and private property.

Damage value matters because D.C. law treats property destruction more harshly when the loss is $1,000 or more. At that level, the offense can be charged as a felony and carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Lower-value damage can be handled as a lesser offense. Prosecutors still must prove the required state of mind, so the case is not only about whether the Reflecting Pool material was damaged, but whether Hearn intentionally or wrongfully caused that damage.

That distinction is likely to be central to the case. Prosecutors describe a deliberate act involving recently installed public property at one of the nation’s most visited memorial sites. Hearn’s account presents a different question for the court: whether touching material that was already loose or detached amounts to criminal destruction, especially if he did not cause the underlying damage.

The Reflecting Pool had recently been part of a multimillion-dollar rehabilitation project ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary observances. The project drew national attention after the pool’s water turned green and sections of the blue coating or sealant appeared to peel. President Donald Trump later announced that federal authorities had made multiple arrests of people he accused of vandalizing the site.

Administration officials have pointed to vandalism as one explanation for the pool’s problems, while Hearn’s lawyers argue the prosecution is being used to shift attention away from failures in the renovation.

Pirro said prosecutors are reviewing about six other cases connected to alleged damage at the Reflecting Pool. Some may be treated as misdemeanors or lesser violations, she said. Hearn appears to be the first person indicted on a felony charge tied to the pool damage.

Vandalism allegations involving public landmarks can draw heightened scrutiny because the property belongs to the public and repairs are often paid through government funds. Those factors do not change what prosecutors must prove, but they can affect how closely a case is watched.

A court hearing is scheduled for July 9, 2026, in D.C. Superior Court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.