Federal prosecutor drops vandalism case against Olympic athlete

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has moved to drop felony charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn. Hearn had been accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026. Prosecutors originally said he pulled up part of the pool's protective lining and charged him with a crime that carried up to ten years in prison.

However, Pirro's office said in a court filing on July 31 that the damage actually came from poor work by the contractor, not vandalism. The pool had just been renovated for $14 million. President Trump publicly disagreed, saying the damage was "pure vandalism." Pirro's office had initially called the case a priority. Hearn's lawyers had argued he was being blamed for a troubled renovation project.